The Boogeyman
by Zombiifissh
Summary: Wherein Hiei is assigned to scare the living daylights out of Kurama by Mukuro, and something goes awry. I think rated T for now.
1. Assignment Day

**A/N: AAAIIGGHH! This sucks!! I was typing up this fic when I stopped for a while to eat, and then my friend came over to my house, so I decided to show her some other things on Microsoft Word, and then I accidentally closed out of Word WITHOUT SAVING THE DAMN STORY!!! –sobs- So now I have to start ALL OVER AGAIN and try to remember what I wrote!**

**Okay, so here goes… this fic was originally based on an AMV I was watching with nekoluver, my part-time co-authoress. The song was by ICP (though I don't remember the name of the song) and the video made it look like Hiei was the bogeyman. (It made me smile. :3) so nekoluver and I had a conversation about it, and this is what sprang up from it. I'm pretty sure it merits AU, and Mukuro is probably WAY OOC (and the fact that she works under Koenma for some reason… XD), but it's fanfiction, and I'm supposed to have fun with it. ;P**

A shadow rose up in the entrance to the hallway. It moved too quickly for human eyes to see, but that didn't matter, seeing as none of the beings around it were human. Even to the other supernatural beings, the shadow moving down the hall was still just a blur. It darted down the corridor, heedless of the ogres calling to it.

"Hey, did you know that Boss Mukuro was looking for y—"

"Shut up." The shadow rudely whizzed past the ogre, the force of his going past the ogre so fast blowing the stack of paperwork out of his hands.

The shadow rushed down to a closed door and stopped, brooding and scowling. The shadow was finally fully visible. He stood before the doorway, so short he could have been mistaken for a child. He wore a black cloak, loose black pants, and black boots along with a white scarf and headband, which concealed a blue third eye in contrast to his other eyes, which were blazing red. His jet black hair stood on end, all except for his bangs, making his hair a flame shape. There was a flare of white hair in the front above his bangs. He was also a demon.

He scrunched up his face and opened the door, raging into the room and slamming the door behind him.

"All right, Mukuro, tell me what this is all about," the boy asked rudely to the back of a rotating armchair. There was a chuckle from the armchair and it turned, revealing a woman—or, half of one.

The woman sitting in the chair smirked at him, though only half of her face could do it. Her entire right side was made completely of machines, and in her right eye socket she wore a glass eye much too large for her. The boy largely considered her a freak show.

This woman—Mukuro—was in charge of assigning and deploying special agents called "bogeymen" from Spirit World to the Living World for protection. Sometimes, a human child's spiritual power would grow too large, and the child and its family would become a target for demons that happened to slip through the barrier separating the two worlds. The bogeymen would get assigned to a child with immense power and trigger a reaction in the child to lock away the power and lay it dormant until it died down to a normal level. The child was researched and the bogeyman would be chosen to "scare" the spirit power out of the child to protect the humans near it.

Which was exactly why the boy in front of Mukuro was so annoyed. He wasn't a bogeyman, although Mukuro did call him down to her office to do her random errands she never wanted to do. Some way or another, he always ended up doing her errands, though he did _not_ take kindly to being given orders, let alone following them. However, somehow she always got him to do the things she wanted.

"You should be more polite, Hiei," Mukuro said, addressing the boy in front of her. Hiei scowled and glared at her, demanding an answer. Mukuro chuckled at him again. "You've been assigned," she said humorously. Hiei looked at her blankly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hiei asked roughly. Mukuro's smirk widened.

"Just what I said. I mean you've been assigned. As a boogeyman," she said simply.

Hiei growled at her. "I'm not a boogeyman, Mukuro. You know that. I'm not going to Living World and slither around trying to scare some filthy human kid just so they can live. For all I care, they can go extinct," he said fiercely. Mukuro's never-ending smirk tightened.

"You _will_ go, Hiei. Even our best boogeymen couldn't handle this kid, and you're scary looking, so I assigned you to the job. I'm sure you can get this over with quickly if you pull a few tricks with that freaky eye of yours."

"Talk about freaks! Why can't you go yourself; I bet _your_ eye could scare a _crowd_ to death, you wretch." Hiei had his shoulders hunched and his arms crossed. He wasn't about to go to the Ningenkai, or the human world, just to save the humans that he hated, not without a fight, anyway.

Mukuro ignored him and produced an image of a small, red-haired boy on a large screen behind her. "This is your assignment. He doesn't look like much, but he's got something that just makes it impossible for my agents to work on him the right way. You will start immediately after leaving. You can track him with your freak eye, I'm sure, so I don't need to tell you all the details of his residence, just that he lives with his mother. Now, I expect you to get this done within the month, do you understand?" she said.

"God damn it, woman! I don't want to go down there—it's all just a waste of time; they're all going to die anyway, why do we have to protect them?!" Hiei shouted back.

Mukuro stood, her smirk gone, replaced by a frightful glare that could even have the prince of Spirit World, Koenma, cringing. Hiei stood under the gaze, unblinking. "_Hiei, you are going to Ningenkai whether you like it or not, so I suggest you get used to the idea and accept it, or else you'll be doing penance labor for the next three years!"_ Mukuro yelled.

Outside the door, the ogres were listening to the argument eagerly. None of them liked having Hiei around (mostly because he scared them), and listening to him getting chewed out by Mukuro was always entertaining. Listening to _anyone_ getting chewed out by Mukuro was always entertaining.

The shouting match lasted for about twenty more minutes before a fuming Hiei wrenched open the door and stormed out, slamming the door behind him again. The ogres scattered out of the way of the little demon, knowing he could (and readily would) blast them all into oblivion if provoked in the slightest, even when he wasn't completely pissed off.

Hiei growled under his breath, ignoring the ogres shooting him frightened glances. He'd lost the fight, which meant he had to go and take care of this kid before he could come back.

The kid—Shuichi Minamino was his name—didn't even look like he could hold a blade of grass in the air with his spirit energy, so why did Hiei have to go and turn his power down? Hiei stomped out to the entrance of the castle and ventured out into Spirit World to find the nearest portal to Ningenkai. If he was going to go down there, he might as well scare the damn kid so bad that he'd never be able to sleep with the light off again. That thought gave Hiei a chuckle.


	2. He's Not Scared

**And this is the second chapter..! Here you are, since I haven't updated for a while, hehe... ;**

"I'm going to my room, now, Mother," the little thirteen-year-old Shuichi Minamino called. His mother Shiori nodded with a smile.

"All right, Shuichi. I'll be going to bed soon myself, so don't make too much noise, all right?" Not that he ever did. He was an ideal child; a perfect son, a perfect angel.

That is, if he wasn't merged with a demon. Shuichi's soul shared his body with another soul called Yoko Kurama, a kitsune, or fox demon. He kept this secret from his mother, one of the very few secrets he ever kept from her, partly out of fear and partly out of protection.

Shuichi climbed the stairs up to his room and looked out of his window. There was a large tree just beyond his windowsill, perfect for sneaking out at night. He'd never done it, of course—he'd never needed to—but the option was always there, all the same.

He'd done his homework for that night, so there was nothing else to do but sleep. He redressed for bed and flopped down onto his mattress, wiggling under the blankets. He rolled onto his side to sleep better, no longer facing the window, and started to doze off.

Hiei skimmed along the treetops in the direction of his assignment's house. He found it quickly utilizing his Jagan. Approaching the house, he noticed there was a tree in front of the boy's window. Good. That made it easier for him. He jumped up in to the tree easily and peered into the window, checking to see if this _was_ the right window. Confirming his impression, he moved to open the window, only to find it was locked from the inside.

Hiei cursed under his breath, and drew his sword. He hated using his weapon for anything other than combat; his enemies' blood rusted the blade enough as it was, without having to use it for unrelated things as well.

He slid the edge underneath the window and used it like a crowbar to lever the window open just enough to slip his fingers underneath. He heaved the window open and glided inside silently, sheathing his sword.

He checked around the room quickly. There was a nightstand in a corner next to a bed. A desk was on the opposite wall, just to Hiei's right. A closet took up half of the wall to Hiei's left, and there was also a dresser and a bookshelf filled with books on plants in the room. All the open surfaces held pots with various foliage in them. Some had flowers and some had thorns, and some looked about ready to snap a finger off if you got too close. Hiei's eyes narrowed as he recognized some of the plants as denizens of the Makai, or demon world.

So the kid really could throw around some power. Then he would be able to sense when other's power had been released as well. All the more reason to get this over with, in Hiei's eyes.

Moving to the foot of the bed, Hiei stood in the shadow and let his demonic energy swell until he was absolutely sure the child in the bed had woken and was aware of his presence in the room. The small redhead sat up and watched Hiei warily, one hand gripping the blankets in case he had to throw them off.

Hiei's eyes seemed to gleam in the dark, and he burned off his headband, adding a third gleam to the set. The ashes of his headband fluttered to the floor, adding to the effect. He stepped up onto the bed and watched as the kid sank away from him slightly. He then coiled, and pounced on top of the child, pinning his wrists to the bed quicker than sight.

Shuichi's eyes widened, then narrowed. He decided to stall the being on top of him by attempting to talk to it. If it could talk. "Who are you?" he said, very slowly.

A deep chuckle came from the creature, presumably a male, before it started to speak. "Why? Don't want me here?" he said tauntingly. So it _could_ talk.

"Why are you here?" Shuichi asked, stiffening. An intelligent opponent was always more difficult to manipulate than a stupid one.

"I'm here because I have to be. All you have to do is shut the hell up before I decide to kill you."

Shuichi smirked inwardly, as his plants moved noiselessly toward the boy over him as they talked. "Why would you kill me? I've done no wrong to you, have I?"

A growl came from the other boy. "You've done enough. Like having that annoying spirit power that I have to come and turn off." The fiend was obviously irritated and clearly didn't want to be here.

"Why would you do that? Are you like those others that came here before? I've already told them that I don't need this treatment. I'm not afraid of you. I can take care of myself and my family this way, so you can leave." At this last statement, some of the plants that had been sneaking up on Hiei closed around Hiei's ankles and hoisted him up into the air, while another plant poised a barb very near his throat. "See?"

Shuichi expected the person's eyes to widen in shock, at the very least, over having so much control over his powers, like the others did. Instead, he found his own eyes widening as the figure smirked and crossed his arms. "You don't _really_ believe you can beat me with such a cheap trick, do you?" Shuichi felt the boy's power increase, and the next thing he knew, all the plants threatening the boy had burst into flames. They dropped him and he landed gracefully on one knee, bracing himself with his right hand.

"What? The other demons—they never used their abilities against me..?"

The creature gave another laugh. "Well guess what, kid. I'm _unofficial._" This statement sounded very much like a threat to Shuichi's ears. "I don't have to follow their stupid rules. I'm not one of them; and if you piss me off, I'll kill you."

Shuichi took a tiny step back, assessing the situation. The death threat did not sound idle. Fighting his way out of this like he had done with the others was not an option. Reasoning seemed to be the best choice. "What do you want me to do?" he asked slowly.

The other boy grunted. "Hn. What do you think? I _want_ you to get rid of that damn powerful aura you've been waving around, and if you don't do it, I will. Why don't you make it easy on both of us and just burn yourself out already?"

"We both know it's not that simple," Shuichi started, but there was a sudden knock on the door, making both of them jump a little.

"Shuichi, I heard voices. Is everything okay in there?" It was Shiori.

The three-eyed figure flashed over to Shuichi's side. "I'm coming back tomorrow night, little brat. And I'll come back every night until that damn power of yours is gone. Don't lock the window again." And with that, he was gone.

The door opened, and Shiori looked puzzled at the mess on the floor. "Goodness, Shuichi! What have you been doing in here?" She sighed. "Well, just clean up this mess and get to bed, all right?" She 'tutted' before walking back to her own room. Shuichi stood in the middle of his room, gazing down at the ashes of his plants. He shook his head and gathered them up, scattering them out of his window before going back to bed. He mulled over the unexpected intrusion, not sleeping for a long while.

**How's chapter two, guys? Hey, I REALLY need reviews on this one. I want to know whether to continue it or not, and I have no idea where it's going, so suggestions are appreciated! THANK YOU!!! **


	3. Touchy Feely

The next night, Shuichi collapsed immediately after going to bed. It was a Friday night, so he could put off doing his homework for now. He'd get it in the morning, he decided; right now he was just too tired.

He didn't get much sleep the night before, as he stayed up most of the night thinking about Three-Eyes and his job. He'd contemplated about the others that were sent to his home to apparently try and scare him or some such nonsense, but it never worked. They'd never told him _why_ they'd come, either, so Three-Eyes' talking had actually provided a clue to this mystery.

Shuichi yawned. Not getting enough sleep last night coupled with school earlier today had made him very tired. He got ready for bed and climbed in, falling into a deep sleep very quickly, forgetting that his window was still locked.

Hiei arrived at Shuichi's window later that night, just as he said he would. He pushed up on the window, and, realizing it was locked again, growled loudly and swore. He pried the window open with his sword like he had the night before, all too ready to maul the child within the room for causing his blade to rust.

'Little god damned brat, I'll kill him, I'll—' Hiei stopped when he saw that Shuichi was asleep. He growled in his throat and let his ki explode, not waiting for it to expand slowly like he had before. He growled louder when the child did not wake up. 'You are going to die for testing my patience, little brat,' he thought viciously.

Hiei hopped up onto the footrest of Shuichi's bed, sword in hand. He peered at the sleeping redhead sullenly. Moving off of the bed and sheathing his sword, Hiei walked to Shuichi's side and knelt by him. He had an urge to jab the kid in the face to wake him up, then had a better idea. He leaned in closer to Shuichi's face and began to whisper in his ear.

**(A/N: I bet you thought Hiei was gonna kiss him, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU?!! I know how all your yaoi-loving minds work!!! Well too bad, you're gonna have to be patient, or I won't put any in at all!! Or maybe I won't anyway… Mwahaha!!)**

When Shuichi did not wake from the vile things Hiei had been muttering, Hiei stood and punched Shuichi's pillow just inches away from his face. To his horror, Shuichi turned toward the arm and hugged it to his chest. Hiei's mouth fell open and pulled his arm away from the boy, cradling it to his chest as a normal person would hold a cat away from an axe-murderer. He moved back to Shuichi's side, this time actually jabbing him in the face.

Shuichi jolted awake, sitting upright quickly and swatting Hiei's hand away. "What—? Why'd you poke me?!" he asked, his composure not yet there. Hiei held his arm closer to him, as if he was afraid Shuichi might bite it off.

"I told you not to lock the window," Hiei said dangerously.

"Well _excuse_ me for not listening to someone who would like to kill me," the redhead retorted, slowly becoming calmer. He noticed Hiei's odd stance. "Is there something wrong with your arm?" he asked.

"Only the fact you _hugged_ it as you slept!" Hiei hissed.

Shuichi had to contain a giggle, though he couldn't resist a smile. "So do boogeymen melt at pleasant contact or something?"

Hiei scowled at him and drew his sword again. "You won't be able to come near enough to me to find out," he threatened, pointing his blade at Shuichi.

"All right, all right. I don't want a battle here in my room; I'd wake my mother," Shuichi stated placidly. Hiei frowned.

"Why should you care for another when your life is in danger?" The question was gruff, but seemed genuine.

"Don't you have someone to care for other than yourself?" The answer to the question was obvious in the stony-faced gaze. The redhead's expression softened into one of sympathy. "How lonely a life you must lead," he said quietly. "To have no one, to be absolutely alone… Having to bear everything on your own… It must be hard. Don't you ever feel forlorn sometimes?" Shuichi had moved a small distance towards the fire demon as he spoke.

Hiei's inquisitive frown settled back into a glare. "I don't need or want your pity, _human_. Stay away from me."

Shuichi heedlessly moved forward again, cautiously. "But you must feel desolate _sometimes_, right? Like when you're all alone with no one to yell at or threaten, and all you have to listen to you is your own thoughts? That can get pretty depressing sometimes, can't it?" He tentatively nudged the blade of the sword away from him. Hiei seemed not to notice, though he was watching Shuichi's every move warily.

"You seem like the kind of person that can't let anyone get close to them. I want to know why. What happened to you?" He was just in front of Hiei now, and appalled the apparition further by throwing his arms around the dark boy and hugging him.

Hiei elbowed Shuichi away from him roughly. He gave a 'tch' noise before flitting out of the window, his blur and energy signature already gone.

Shuichi smirked at having found the touchy point in his new intruder's mind so quickly. 'I got him.'

Far away, in a tree in a forest out of town, Hiei huddled in the warm summer night air, thinking over his assignment's words. Reminiscing back, Hiei found his words to be true, and, nestling further into the fork in the branches, actually felt loneliness for the first time in his life.

**Oohoo! It seems the tables have turned on our little boogeyman! All thanks go to my wonderful reviewers, Chaseha-Wing and Shadowy Nightmare (Thank kyu! Thank kyu!), for the great suggestions!! I think I smell a back-story coming up!! **


	4. A Discovery

Shuichi smirked to himself as he started off for school. Four days, and he had already gotten under the newcomer's skin. That had to be record time for him. He walked almost jovially to school, not a care in the world.

Hiei sat, dozing in the tree he had tucked himself into the night before. He never really slept, the chance of attackers was just too great. He _was_ wanted dead by just under half the demon world for some reason or another, after all.

He woke up when the sun came through the leaves of the trees to shine on his face. He blinked up at it, cursing slightly under his breath. He hated to be woken up like that, which was why he slept on the hard ground of a cave floor occasionally.

He stretched and jumped down from the tree. He also hated the long wait before he had to go back to Little Red's house, mostly because he had absolutely nothing to do during the day. He couldn't go back to Makai and "play," that would take too much time, and he would get his ear chewed off (not to mention a thorough beating) courtesy of Mukuro when she found out…because she found out _everything._ He was supposed to _"stay on task,"_ and all that junk. He hated that woman. He paused, then decided he was a very hateful person.

Today, however, was different. Instead of having nothing to do but think up new ways to terrify the kid, he had something else to ponder—the concept of loneliness. He didn't have anyone but himself, but he wasn't entirely alone, not to his perspective, at least.

He walked the streets aimlessly, growling loudly at people who happened to bump into him. It was one of Koenma's stupid rules, enforced by Mukuro. "_Don't kill or harm the humans._" Hiei growled at just the thought of not being able to wipe the whole pathetic race out. Gods, how he hated _everything!_

He had to keep his energy burning low during the day as well, lest he attracted unwanted demons to attack him and his charges. Just because his energy was hidden, didn't mean he couldn't still sense others' energy, however. He looked to his right, and immediately saw Shuichi walking, ignorant of Hiei's presence. Hiei watched him turn down the next street, towards a building where other ningen children were gathering.

Hiei grinned a wicked little grin and leaped onto the roof of a building stealthily. He noiselessly followed Shuichi to this building with "Middle School" on a sign above the entrance.

The fire demon sat lazily in the tree outside the window to Shuichi's classroom (which happened to be pre-algebra at the time), wondering why in hell anyone would care to learn about numbers. The only numbers he cared about were… well, he could think about that particular mission later; right now he had one in progress. 'This… was a complete waste of time,' he thought. 'Damn it! I've got to try and learn something about this brat so I can figure out how to scare him and be done with this whole stupid thing! This didn't even give me a good lead!' Hiei sat up, and watched the children file out of the room to go to their next class. He followed Shuichi's energy with his Jagan lazily, wondering whether he'd get out of the situation anytime soon. He sighed heavily, and was going to go back to wandering the streets when something caught his attention.

He sat up interestedly at the new development. A bully was teasing one of the smaller girls in the class Shuichi was currently in. It was mostly verbal, something about her being a freak for believing in aliens and ghosts and demons and such. Hiei chuckled, deciding not to go into the classroom and prove the child wrong, although it gave a rather amusing mental image. He watched on as Shuichi walked boldly up to the bully and started to tell him off for teasing the girl, whose name was Maya. Hiei chuckled again, seeing that Shuichi seemed to actually care for the girl. He could use that…


	5. The Trigger

**A/N: Shuichi is rather evil in this chapter… along with rather loving. Evil and loving, there's a combination you don't see every day. Unless, of course, you read HK fanfictions all freakin' day long, and then Hiei is **_**mostly**_** both loving and evil, but we won't go there. Oops, I guess I just did. Oh well. XD Also, he has to deal with the normal problems of being a thirteen-year-old. No adult will believe anything unnatural you say, even if it's true. Poor little evil redhead….**

That night, Hiei went through his nightly routine of coming in through the window and attempting to scare Shuichi. It didn't work, and the two just ended up getting into an argument, Hiei flitting away when Shiori came into the room. She chalked it up to being night terrors, and thought no more of it, but on the eighth night of waking up to her son and some other perceived person on his part, she decided to confront him about it.

"Shuichi, dear, I know you haven't been sleeping well for a few days. Would you like to tell me what's been going on?" she asked gently the next day, which was Saturday. Shuichi had to keep from rolling his eyes at the statement. He was proud of his demon heritage, and knew himself to be superior to humans in many ways, if not all around.

"No, mother. There's nothing wrong," he lied. He couldn't just tell her that a very violent demon had been trying to scare his own demonic powers away, could he? No.

"Shuichi, don't lie to me. I've come up to your room for six nights in a row now, and you're standing in the middle of the room looking like you've been bothered. I know something's going on…"

Shuichi sighed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said.

"Shuichi, you're my son..! I can make it all better, I promise." She smiled warmly at this.

'All right, you asked for it…' "Mother, a boogeyman with three eyes has been coming into my room at night, and he's been trying to scare me," he said bluntly.

Shiori hugged him. "Baby, you know that there's no such thing as boogeymen, don't you?"

"I told you you wouldn't believe me…" he grunted, annoyed.

"Honey, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just that maybe you didn't see what you think you saw? Have you considered that?

"_Yes,_ mother, but it can't be that. I've _talked _to him, and we have arguments at night while you're asleep."

"Maybe you were dreaming?"

Shuichi shook his head, knowing his human mother would never believe him unless she saw Three-Eyes for herself. "Yes, mother. That must be it. I must have been dreaming," he agreed.

"There, see? Feel better now?"

"Of course," he lied, now trying to figure out a way to get at Three-Eyes' sensitive points in his mind again. He hadn't been able to do it since that first time, and Shuichi cursed him for it. Once he found something he was looking for, he didn't lose it again. Until now. Three-Eyes had managed to evade his latest attempts to uproot his stability with snide comments and rude remarks, countering him with questions about his personal life. The questions always stayed eerily stayed close to one subject in particular: his loved ones. This lead Shuichi to believe that Three-Eyes was going to try and scare him using someone he was close with. This was not good; he could very well lose his mother, and although he felt his species was superior to hers, he did love her.

"Great," Shiori said, bringing Shuichi out of his thoughts. "Do you want some lunch, dear?"

Shuichi nodded. "That would be nice," he said, smiling. He really did love that sweet woman.

* * *

Shuichi looked up apathetically when his window was opened that night. Hiei glared at him as he stepped into the room, earning a shrug and a small laugh from Shuichi. The glare directed at him was intensified as Shuichi uncovered himself and sat on the edge of his bed.

"So, are we just going to go through the motions like every night?" he asked with a smirk. "Just trying to get into each other's heads? I find it all rather dull."

"You'll be going through this until your god damned powers are gone, Red," Hiei replied shortly. Shuichi raised an eyebrow at the name.

"I'm not 'brat' anymore?" he asked, amused. "I have to say, I do like the name better than the old one. Does this mean you've come to like me a little?" he teased.

"Tch. Fine, if you're going to be that way, maybe I should just call you worm?" Hiei growled.

Shuichi laughed. "That's okay. By the way, I've given you a name too, Three-Eyes."

Hiei glared. "My name is not Three-Eyes."

"But you haven't told me your real name," Shuichi protested, still wearing his smirk.

"Don't act like we're friends, you insolent ningen. I hate you and your entire species. Personally, I wouldn't mind if they all died tomorrow," Hiei spat.

Shuichi's smirk faded. "Why?" he asked genuinely.

"Like I'll tell you," Hiei sneered disgustedly.

"Why do you hate humans so much? I'll give you the fact that demons _are_ more hardy and stronger, but that doesn't give you grounds to _hate_ them..! Most humans even have strengths that demons don't have."

"Like what!?"

"Most humans have very good morals, something that most demons couldn't care less about. Their world has hardened them to be ruthless. This has also taken away their compassion for others for the most part. You're proof of this." His next sentences were quieter than the others. "Also… humans have extraordinary hearts. They heal heartbreak very well, and they have an enormous capacity for love."

Hiei was silent. He'd never thought anyone could think of those things as being a good thing. "Those things. You call them strengths? They're liabilities!"

"They bring people closer together, and let them fight together. Demons don't usually do this."

"How would you know anything about demons, _ningen_?"

"I am one. You may know my name. I am Yoko Kurama, Makai's Legendary Thief."

Hiei's face twisted. "You lie. Yoko Kurama is dead."

"As you believe, Three-Eyes." Shuichi decided to give up this point and continue on with his previous argument, humoring Hiei. "You would know this better than I do; you've been in Makai for a long time and know the strengths of demons…"

"And humans could never best demons," Hiei said stubbornly.

"I beg to disagree. If a multitude of determined humans got together and fought for a cause they deemed worthy, I'm positive they could kill or capture a demon." A look of dawning realization came across his face. "Is _that_ why you hate humans? Did they capture you? Or maybe they killed someone you care for?"

In an instant, Hiei had a fist in the front of Shuichi's shirt. "Don't you _even_ talk about something like that, you slimy, filthy, little lying bastard!"

Shuichi gave Hiei a slow, evil grin. "What happened to you, poor little Three-Eyes?" he asked slyly. "Did they get you? Did they get your loved one? Are they _your_ boogeymen? What happened to you?" Bullseye. This was it—he'd found Three-Eyes' susceptible place once again.

"I'll kill you," Hiei snarled. He was absolutely enraged; heat was pouring off of him in furious waves. He dragged the redhead outside and into the yard where he would have room to beat the hell out of the child if need be.

"They obviously didn't get you," Shuichi continued, disregarding the change in scenery. "You'd be more beat up and less bitter. So the only other option…" he let his voice trail off, not needing to finish the sentence.

He found himself being slammed into the tree the next second, knocking the wind out of him. "Shut up! You don't know anything, you pitiful bastard! She isn't dead, I would feel it!"

"So they did get her," Shuichi coughed. "You haven't found her yet, I presume. Once again, what happened?" he asked with a grin.

"The god damn fool went off and got herself god damn captured and I can't god damn find her!" Hiei hissed loudly. "My own god damn sister, and I need that god damn bitch Mukuro to get me places to look for her, god… DAMN it!!" he practically roared, utterly livid.

"I see…" Shuichi said quietly. "So you can care. And I thought that was just 'a liability'."

'_DAMN IT ALL TO BLOODY HELL!_' Hiei shouted in his mind. He'd fallen right into the child's trap. "I should kill you right where you stand for what you know!" The hands pinning Shuichi to the tree moved quickly to his neck and closed on it.

There was a long pause, where Shuichi maintained his usual poise, and Hiei never moved his hands—or the rest of his body, for that matter. "…But you won't."

Hiei growled loudly and sent a fist flying at Shuichi's face. It struck the tree with enough force to make an actual dent of notable size in the trunk, and then the incredible irate demon flitted away without another word.

It was a few moments before Shuichi moved from his position. He'd come _really_ close to provoking the demon enough to the point where he might actually kill him; closer than he'd ever come in provoking anyone since his rebirth into his human body. He let the shock of the affair die down a little, then sighed a little shakily. That was _definitely _the point in Three-Eyes' mind where he didn't want anyone else to be.

He looked over to his left at the rather large indent in the tree trunk and shivered. He had no idea what it was that had stopped the other boy, but he was grateful that the depression had been made on the tree and not his face. He opted not to heal the tree, as a silent reminder of what the demon was capable of.

Slowly, Shuichi moved to the front of his house and picked the lock to get back inside.

Hiei sat, fuming, in a tree in the forest near the redhead's house. It was time to be done with the impudent brat. Maybe he would pull out his backup plan, maybe as soon as tomorrow.

**Heya, guys! This chapter seems a little longer to me than my other ones, probably because I'm writing it after (once again) another all-nighter of reading fanfictions, and it is now about 6:40 in the morning. has dead/zombie face for being awake so long I feel utterly **_**bloog**_** right now, and anyone who has felt that way will understand my meaning. Although, I don't think I'm going to stop reading anytime soon. I need to milk my internet time as much as I possibly can, since I don't have it at home. (sobs)**


	6. Use Of Said Trigger

Hiei waited for Shuichi to fall asleep before opening the unlocked window to his bedroom. 'So the brat _is_ learning…' He opened his Jagan and twisted Shuichi's dream from walking in a field with Maya—'How convenient…'—to one of the redhead being brutally murdered by the girl, and then being forced to watch her take her own life happily, spitting on his body.

Shuichi woke with a start, sitting bolt upright and gasping. He was in a cold sweat and breathed heavily, trying to come back to reality. Once he did, he noticed the little fire demon smirking at him from his favorite chair. "Sleep well, brat?" he asked cynically.

Shuichi glared at him. "I suppose you did that?"

"Of course," the spiky-headed one said loftily.

"I should kill you for the thought of that sight," Shuichi threatened. Hiei cocked and eyebrow at him and smirked wider.

"You know, you really aren't as smart as you'd like to seem."

Shuichi narrowed his eyes at the insult. "What do you mean?"

Hiei barked out a short laugh. "I _mean_ that if you were smart, you'd have noticed my presence all day, and you wouldn't have let your guard down," he began. Shuichi blinked, thinking back. The boy was right; he'd felt odd all day, like someone had been following him..! He was about to counter this statement when the demon started to speak again. "You also wouldn't have lost your cool just now when your girlfriend died in your dream, and in doing so, you've shown me your weakness. Another stupid thing to do." Shuichi paled in the darkness. Who knows what that kinds of things he would do, being so violent..?

Shuichi heard a low chuckle. "Are you so afraid for her? She's safe… for now…"

"What did you do with her?!" Shuichi exclaimed, quietly, in case his mother was awake.

"Nothing. She's right outside. See for yourself." Hiei stepped away from the window as the redhead rushed to it. As he had said, Maya was outside and was tied to the tree. She was looking around helplessly in confusion, wondering why she was here. Shuichi's eyes widened, and he threw on some clothes, quickly changing out of his pajamas.

He sneaked through the house, going carefully past his mother's door, then rushed outside to untie Maya. She looked at him as he approached her. "Shuichi-kun? What's going on?" she asked. "A boy dressed in black came and took me and tied me up here?"

"It'll be all right, Maya. I can take care of him. Just hold on while I untie—" His words were stopped by a sharp groan when the ropes holding Maya discharged painful energy as soon as he touched them. Maya squeaked in pain as well, having felt the backlash of the energy. "Are you all right, Maya?"

"I'm fine…" she gasped. "Look! It's that boy!" She was looking over Shuichi's shoulder. Hiei had landed lightly on the ground behind Shuichi and was now chuckling darkly at him. "Shuichi, he's scary!"

"Let her go, you fiend!" Shuichi exclaimed.

"Yes, I'm just going to _give_ you my leverage," Hiei sneered. "I think you should stay and enjoy the show, Little Red."

Shuichi's eyes widened in horror once again as he found himself captive of Hiei's Jagan bonds. They constricted his arms together by the wrists, and his legs likewise by his ankles. He had even taken care to restrain his neck, so he had to stay utterly still. "What are you going to do to her?!" Shuichi yelled.

Hiei laughed. "You'll see… even though you're not going to want to after the first minute or so…"

"Shuichi-kun, help!" Maya pleaded.

"Foolish girl!" Hiei backhanded her across the face, then laughed again. Maya began to cry.

"Stop, you bastard!"

Hiei rolled his eyes. "You are just as much of a fool as she is, brat. You gave me this opportunity when you showed your compassion for her. That was your weakness: compassion for your human friends, and now you'll regret it!"

"Sh-Shuichi..? You…" Hurt and betrayal glistened in Maya's wet eyes.

"Maya, no! It wasn't like that! Believe me, please!" Shuichi pleaded.

"It's much too late for that, fools. Your friend is going to die, and you could have saved her, if only you had just burned out your powers like I told you to!" Hiei drew his katana and raised it to the sobbing girl's throat.

"Wait!! Don't kill her!"

Hiei smirked. "An interesting idea… maybe you're right… I won't kill her…"

Shuichi immediately grew suspicious. "What are you going to do?"

"What do you think?" Hiei said evilly, plunging his blade deep into Maya's shoulder. She screamed, and Hiei wrinkled his nose at the sound.

"_Maya!!_"

"We're going to have to do something about that ugly voice of yours," Hiei growled. He unveiled his Jagan and it opened, glowing purple. He focused its power on Maya, and she instantly went silent, tears pouring down her face from the fear and the pain.

"What did you do?!"

"Just took away her voice. Now she won't wake everyone up when I cut her again and again… although you won't be able to hear her screams of terror when I go for her throat… A small loss. Keep watching, brat, if this doesn't burn out your powers, I don't know what will." He dragged out his blade agonizingly slowly, twisting it the entire way before it was out. He drove it again into her, this time in the left knee. Her mouth opened wide, but no sound came out. She screamed silently, then dropped her head, panting heavily. She was losing a lot of blood.

"Please, stop this..!" Shuichi was on the verge of desperation. "Don't hurt her anymore..!"

Hiei grinned maliciously. "I can certainly do that," he said. "I'll take away all her pain…" He wrenched the katana out of her once more.

"NO, PLEASE DON'T!!" Shuichi screamed, but it was too late. Hiei thrust his sword through Maya's throat far enough to stick in the tree behind it. Maya didn't have her voice, but Shuichi could hear her death gurgles as blood filled up her windpipe and she choked, coughing violently. She shuddered and looked up at the horrified redhead, eyes filled with hurt and hate. She coughed once more and went limp, her life gone.

**I am utterly horrible, aren't I? Oh, in case anyone was wondering, Maya was an actual character in the manga. She had a crush on Shuichi, but she was attacked by a demon called Eight-Hands (I wonder why he got his name..!) and Shuichi eventually had to get Hiei to help him save her. Basically, if he wasn't with Hiei, he would have been with Maya. The thing is, though, that practically **_**as soon as**_** he met Hiei (it was the **_**very same day**_**), he erased Maya's memory of her attraction to him. WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT KURAMA, HUH? HE IS **_**TOTALLY**_** WITH HIEI! It was great… If you haven't read that, go and do it as soon as possible. Trust me, it was sweet…**


	7. Struggle

**A/N: I'm sorry for putting all you lovely reviewers through that last chapter—(Jorg—SHE LIES!!)—SHUT UP, JORG!—and I assure you, it will be all right. Just bear with me here, and keep in mind that it **_**will be okay in a chapter or two, okay?!**_** This, by no means, means that the story will be over in a chapter or two, it simply means that I'll be adding a new development to the story in that time. Actually, I predict that this fic will continue for quite a bit longer, so long as I get my reviews! ;P –laughs- I've also reread the last chapter, and if you don't take it seriously, it sounds like a cheesy soap opera! Go back and try it, I know some of you will and want to! XD **

**This chapter is for Chaseha-Wing, who has been ardently looking forward to Hiei and Shuichi's fight scene since back in like, chapter three! (And who also predicted most of this…) :D Cyber-cookie for the faithful!! –gives cookie- XD**

**God that was a long A/N!! Gomen!**

"NO, PLEASE DON'T!!" Shuichi screamed, but it was too late. Hiei thrust his sword through Maya's throat far enough to stick in the tree behind it. Maya didn't have her voice, but Shuichi could hear her death gurgles as blood filled up her windpipe and she choked, coughing violently. She shuddered and looked up at the horrified redhead, eyes filled with hurt and hate. She coughed once more and went limp, her life gone.

"MONSTER!!!" The redhead screamed in agony. Hiei looked at him in surprise; his aura was growing rapidly in strength. The purple color of it was seeping through Hiei's burning red Jagan bonds, and the next second, the bonds were broken as Shuichi's ki detonated with a massive shockwave. Hiei's eyes widened slightly as Shuichi turned his wrathful gaze on him. "YOU'LL PAY!!"

Hiei found himself being slammed into the side of the house by the tree he was standing by. He gasped for air, having had the wind knocked out of him. 'DAMN IT! That bitch waited too long to repress his powers, and now he's got full control of them! Damn you, Mukuro!' He jumped out of the way as the bushes he was in started to snake around him. The flowers on the bushes did not give up the chase that their branches could not carry on. They shot their petals at him like bullets, becoming razor-sharp. Most of them grazed Hiei's sides and arms as he lifted them to protect himself.

Shuichi was not going to stand still and let Hiei dodge all of his attacks, however. He pulled a rose out of his hair and transformed it into a whip with spiky thorns. He lashed it at Hiei, who dodged to the left and managed to miss the whip entirely. He hit the ground and rolled, having to get up and jump back when the bushes tried to pull at him again. The whip lashed again, and it connected this time, right across Hiei's chest. He winced and hissed, jumping back again.

He wasn't about to retaliate. His demon energy would surely attract other demons if he used it for battle; his sword was still stuck in the tree, and there was _no way_ he was getting close to _that_ monster if he didn't need to. He also needed to keep the kid alive, or else he'd find himself in Reikai jail for the rest of his life and possibly executed. Of course, there was still the problem of _Shuichi's _energy attracting unwanted guests, which told Hiei he needed to get the hell out of there before something bad happened and he was blamed for it.

Hiei narrowly managed to dodge another blow from the whip, but it put him in the range of the flailing tree. He had to move even quicker now; the tree's branches were everywhere, and he kept getting cut by the smaller branches, needing to keep away from the larger ones and trying to stay away from the rose whip as well. He decided to get his sword since he was this close and went for it, venturing closer to the trunk and finding it harder to avoid the tree's larger limbs. He ripped his sword from the tree (and Maya's neck) and sheathed it. He wasn't fast enough with this, however, as a heavy branch swung itself at Hiei. He almost succeeded in evading it, but it crashed into his left shoulder and he felt the bones break in his forearm from the force of the blow.

He was thrown to the side and landed ungracefully on his feet, finding himself five feet from Shuichi. The irate redhead cracked his whip again and Hiei had to suppress a growl as the thorns dug into the skin of his broken arm. He looked up and met cold green eyes without pity or mercy. He looked back at them without so much as a hint of fear or regret. He couldn't contain a growl this time as the whip slid around his arm and released it; gouging out a deep ring around his arm, and twisting the already broken bones at the same time as it did so.

'So he's going to try and torture me, is that it? Well, let's just see how long that lasts,' Hiei thought bitterly as he flitted away towards the hidden portal back to Reikai and Mukuro. Shuichi followed him, though far behind.

Unfortunately for Hiei, the portal happened to be in the middle of the forest.

Hiei stood at the edge of the wood, arms limp and eyes slightly wide. He sighed and shook his head as he contemplated actually _going into_ that monstrosity of something that should have been harmless.

It seemed that the entirety of the forest was beating at the air and straining to get at him. He could feel their rabidity to tear him apart as an almost physical manifestation, and he could feel the same coming up rapidly from behind him. If he didn't move now, he would be caught between a rock and a hard place, and he knew he might not survive that. He took a deep breath, and, cradling his arm, flitted into the forest.

As soon as he was in reach of the trees, they started avidly tearing at him. Branches swiped at his head, making him duck, and roots threw themselves at his feet, making him jump. Midair, he had to flip and twist, slashing wildly but accurately with his blade to deflect only the harshest offending attackers that would surely rip him to shreds if he didn't. The smaller adversaries he let slip through; their damage would be only minor, and he had to keep his mind on the larger, more dangerous foes.

He could still feel Shuichi approaching him from behind, though his pace seemed even faster now that Hiei's own had been hindered by the trees. He thought he had good chances to get to the portal before he had to confront the child, however, since he was already halfway to the portal.

His thoughts were basically destroyed as some very large mushrooms grew suddenly out of the sides of the trees and released a purple cloud of gas. Hiei immediately dropped to a crouch and continued to move, trying to breathe as little as possible. He had had encounters with these mushrooms before—their spores carried a deadly virus that put the victim to sleep and then wouldn't let them sleep again when they woke up, eating away at the soon-to-be-casualty's skin painfully. He scowled; it seemed the little brat was serious.

He got through the poison cloud all right, gulping down clean air once he was sure it was safe. The portal shone invitingly in front of him in the middle of the clearing and he approached it, panting slightly.

"Don't take another step."

Hiei shook his head in great irritation and turned back to face Shuichi. His whip was still drawn menacingly. It looked like he would have to fight him, after all. He sighed and drew his sword once again. Shuichi narrowed his eyes and flicked his wrist, sending his whip thrashing towards Hiei, who jumped above the attack and burned most of the weapon away. Shuichi growled a little and plucked a blade of grass from the ground, transforming it into a sword stronger than steel in its own right.

Hiei landed and there was a face off between the two. They circled each other, moving in a wide path. They coiled at the same time and launched themselves at the other, their blades meeting with a clang. They help their position for a split second before leaping backwards and repeating the process. Shuichi was trying desperately to gain an advantage over Hiei, but the little demon was much quicker than he was, and stronger, even with a broken arm. In one of their short clashes, the redhead had a moment of weakness, and Hiei took advantage of the slip, flinging Shuichi's blade away from him, where it transformed back into a harmless piece of grass. He sheathed his sword, then swept Shuichi's legs out from under him and fled for the portal.

"No!" Shuichi yelled, manipulating many vines to wrap the other boy and throw him to the ground roughly. Hiei had the wind knocked out of him for the second time that night as he hit the ground hard on his back. He bared his teeth as the shock jarred his broken arm and got up quickly, running for the portal again. He effectively dodged the vines and leaped through, successfully closing the otherworldly gate behind him.

Shuichi fell to his knees, his rage now directed at himself for letting his friend die and her murderer escape him. He trembled from effort as angry tears started to fall from his eyes.

'Damn those plants, damn that child, and _damn Mukuro!_' Hiei thought violently. 'This is all _her_ fault!' He set off in a rage toward Koenma's castle, where he knew Mukuro would be.

**So… Come on, you gotta tell me how it was..! You know I like to know these things! Also, I need to know whether to bump up the rating for the next chapter, mostly for a pissed-off fire demon extensively using the f-word. REVIEW!! Writing this was so much fun; I stared to listen to some Rammstien to help, but then I said to my radio (yes, I talk to my inanimate objects, leave me alone), "No! You're not fast and violent-sounding enough!" So I put Rob Zombie into my CD player instead. Note: Best—music—ever to write a really fast, violent, fight scene to. Seriously, those of you who don't believe me, go try it. –does the Lee and Guy-sensei thumbs up thing (that's from Naruto, FYI)- :D**

**God, more long-ass A/N's! Sorry! (sweat) **


	8. Rage!

**A/N: All right, it's finally here! I haven't bumped up the rating (as you've noticed), but there is excessive swearing and usage of the f-word in this chapter. So, readers with virgin eyes, look away!**

**WARNING: LOTS OF SWEARING.**'Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch…' Hiei was cursing Mukuro with every step he took. Every step jarred his broken arm, which he deemed to be her fault, seeing as how she "_didn't fill him in on the details_" on the matter of the level of Shuichi's control over his powers. 'Bitch, bitch, bitch! I'm gonna hurt her so fucking bad…'

* * *

Ogres scattered everywhere, clutching stacks of paperwork in their arms as Hiei kicked in the door to the hallway where Mukuro's door was located. He bared his teeth as the kick agitated his arm again, making him look even angrier. He then stomped to said woman's door and kicked it in as well, facing a (once again) smirking Mukuro.

"Hello, Hiei. It's a good thing you're here, I have news for you," she said lightly, completely disregarding the fact that her charge was battered and bleeding.

"You—utter—_bitch_!" Hiei seethed. "_WHY_ didn't you tell me he could already fully control his powers?! _Do you see what the little fucker did to me?!_"

Mukuro seemed nonchalant. "Oh, that. Yes, Hiei, I did see. What's your point? I have news—"

"Fuck your news, woman! I want you to tell me right now why you didn't tell me he can control his fucking powers, knows all about the fucking Makai, and thinks he's fucking Yoko Kurama!!"

Mukuro calmly folded her hands in her lap. 'Weather the storm, he'll want to hear this…' "Hiei, that's part of the news. Of course, you don't seem to need that bit, now that you know…"

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN, _THAT'S THE NEWS?!_ God DAMN it, Mukuro! You could have told me sooner so I didn't have to go through all this shit! Now my fucking arm's busted, and it's your fault! Thanks a lot!"

"Yes, it's my fault," she said dismissively, "but there's more you need to hear…"

"Fuck you, bitch! I don't want to listen to you! I want you to fix my fucking arm, and the rest of me as well!"

Mukuro sighed and rolled her eyes to the best of her ability. "All right, if that'll get you to listen…" She knew that shouting back at him would do her no good right now, he was too unconditionally pissed to even consider listening to her at the moment. She stood and opened a door to her left, revealing a set of stairs leading downward into a stony hallway. "Come on, then…"

* * *

"Shuichi, time to get up!" Shiori called cheerily, entering her son's room. She was surprised to find him sitting in the middle of the bed clutching his blanket to himself, red-eyed and tired-looking. "Honey, what's wrong?" she questioned, kneeling next to her son and immediately worried. He had obviously stayed up at least most of the night crying.

Shuichi shook his head. "I… I had a… a bad d-dream…" he whispered hoarsely, lying through his teeth.

Shiori hugged him. "Shuichi, it's okay… Everything's all right, it was just a dream," she said soothingly while rubbing his back. "Now you need to get dressed, sweetie, school starts soon. Go and get cleaned up; I'll drive you today, if you want," she offered gently.

Shuichi nodded, still distraught by Maya's death, and got up form the bed. He went through his normal morning routine and got into Shiori's car after he looked presentable again. Shiori waved him off as he got out of the car and walked into the building. "I wonder what the dream was, to be bad enough to do that to him…" she thought aloud.

Shuichi tried to look normal as he walked through the halls to his first class. However, he cringed when in front of the door; this was the only class that he had had with Maya, and she sat right next to him. He sighed, composed himself, and walked in, resigning himself to the reality that she was dead.

He moved slowly to his seat at the edge of the first row. It was quiet in the classroom, since the other children didn't want to spend the twenty minutes before school started sitting at a desk. Shuichi sat down and rested his chin in his hands, sighing sadly again. He stayed like this, eyes closed, until the bell rang and the other students filed into the class, talking loudly with each other.

'I can almost even hear her voice,' Shuichi thought miserably.

"Good morning, Shuichi-kun!"

'Just like that… _Wait a minute!_' Shuichi snapped his head around to his left, face to face with a smiling Maya. He stared at her, absolutely dumbstruck as she giggled.

"Hello? Earth to Shuichi! You're spacing out!" Maya said brightly.

Shuichi noticed his mouth was open and closed it quickly. "M-Maya? What are you doing here?" he asked, completely baffled.

She gave him a weird look. "I'm supposed to be here, silly," she said. "What's wrong with you, Shuichi-kun? You're look like you've seen a ghost! Did you hit your head or something?"

He shook his head slowly. "I'm fine…" he said distantly. "I just… I thought… Do you remember where you were last night?"

Maya frowned in confusion. "Yes, I was at home studying for the test all night. I didn't even leave to get ice cream like I usually do," she answered. "Why?"

Shuichi closed his eyes as he shook his head again. "Nothing, I just thought I saw you in an odd place last night, that's all. Good morning to you, too, Maya," he said pleasantly, smiling.

She smiled and nodded as she took her seat. "That's more like it!"

Shuichi turned forward to the teacher, now giving a lecture on the bean plants they were supposed to be growing as their new project. 'All right, what in the worlds is going here?' he thought, completely ignoring the teacher. Not like he needed to listen anyway… 'I _saw_ Maya die. But she's sitting right next to me! Did I die out in the woods or something? Is this a dream? Maybe… if this goes on long enough… I could talk to Three-Eyes? …But that's if he comes back…' he added heavily. 'Ugh. I need more information.'

* * *

Mukuro sat in her office, waiting for Hiei to get redressed and come back up the stairs. She didn't have to wait long, as he was up in a few minutes. She looked at him, somehow managing to smirk without emotion. "So, are you ready to listen to me yet?"

Hiei flopped down in the chair across from hers, his body completely healed from being in that weird tank she kept in the basement chamber downstairs. "Hn. What did you have to say? It must be important, or you wouldn't be pressing it this hard."

"Yes. Here it is. My sources did some research on Shuichi Minamino after you left to try to boogey him or whatever the verb for that is, and—"

"You mean to tell me that I was sent all the way to Ningenkai just to keep him fucking _busy_ while you studied him?!" Hiei growled.

"Let me finish!" Mukuro snapped. "What they found out is this: Shuichi Minamino really _is_ Yoko Kurama."

Hiei was silently giving Mukuro a half-glare. "Mind explaining _how_ that works?"

"Yes, I do. I really don't feel like explaining it to you, because you can ask him yourself when you go back."

"Wait, I don't think I heard you right. I thought you said I was going _back_, but that can't be right, since I wouldn't go back even if I had to do all your fucking errands for eternity. I fucking hate it there!"

Mukuro smirked wider. "Oh, you'll go back. That's part of your job. See, you might only be a substitute stand-in boogeyman, but you _do_ have to patrol the border between Ningenkai and Makai. And I'm ordering you to keep an eye or three on Kurama."

"_Why?!_"

"Because I said so. I'm your boss, and I can do that. That's your new assignment. Tail Yoko Kurama."

"If you think I'm going to, you're insane," Hiei hissed.

Mukuro substituted her smirk for a very wide, sly grin. "Well then, I must be insane, because I know for a fact that you'll do as I say once you hear the last bit of the news."

"Oh? And what might that be?" Hiei scoffed.

"I've got a new lead on where to find your sister."


	9. Interrogation

**A/N: All right! How's about them news Mukuro had, eh? –grins wickedly- Heh. No, I didn't forget about that little angle to the story, but there's gonna be some more changes and twists before this is all through. I thought about where this story was headed, and, unfortunately for some, I probably won't be putting in any lemons in this fic, though I might just find some place to turn the story and throw one in there for you perverts. ;) You never know with me—most of the time I just get a fleeting idea at best and wing it from there to fit it with the story, so no one knows what to expect!! Especially me! Ha-ha! **

**But seriously, I can't see any lemons happening here, unless something drastic happens, in which case I will warn you before it happens. And even though the chance of a lemon here is slim, I'm starting to formulate another idea for a fic that's probably going to have more than… oh, say three lemons at the least. It's been a while since I've written one. The new fic will be a series of oneshot songfics, and has yet to be named, so be on the lookout for it. It'll all be under the same story, too, so it'll be easy to check if there's more, just because the oneshots will be one chapter apiece. **

**Also! Don't confuse the new oneshot series with another little thing I'm going to do, which is going to be all of my random pointless oneshots and such balled into one group. I'll probably title that one something obvious so no one gets confused or anything… THIS HAS GONE ON WAY TOO LONG! ON TO THE STORY! ;**

* * *

The little redhead sat in the middle of his bed, not knowing whether to expect Three-Eyes or not. He assumed it was safe to say that if he didn't show up, he wouldn't be coming back, since even after their fights, he would always show up the next night.

He sighed and stared out the window for the dark little youkai. Shaking his head, he wondered whether he _wanted_ Three-Eyes to show up. Sure, he would probably shed some light on the whole subject of Maya's death, but the murderous intent directed at the fire demon might just ruin the thirteen-year-old's chances to get any information, and then there was the chance that Three-Eyes wouldn't talk at all. He growled, crossed his arms, and huffed, resigning to wait out the rest of the night if he had to.

He didn't have to wait long. In half an hour, the spiky-haired demon was at the already open window. The two boys glared at each other as Hiei stepped into the room. After a moment, the silence was broken.

"You came back," the younger said shortly, his eyes green ice.

"It's my job. I don't enjoy spending time here, you twit."

"Twit, that's a new one. I don't think I've heard you use that before."

"Can it, Kurama! I have to follow you around for now, so you're just going to have to deal with me, got it?" the dark one growled.

Kurama's eyebrows raised slightly at the use of his real name. "So you're going to be civil with me, at least?"

"Hn." Kurama didn't know how to take that. "I don't have to do anything. Just follow you. So shut up and make this easy for both of us."

"No, I'm afraid I can't do that. I have some questions that are going to be answered, and you're going to do it," Kurama demanded.

"What makes you think I will?" Hiei snarled.

Kurama grinned. "Because I can make you."

"Hn. As if some ningen could—" Hiei stopped mid-sentence and let out an almost inaudible gasp as a sharp pain shot up from his ankle. His muscles turned to water and he collapsed to the floor, shaking from the effort of trying to hold himself up. "What the hell did you do to me?" Hiei rumbled.

"Just paralyzed your muscles so you can't run off while I question you. I thought you might want to leave, and I couldn't have that when I need answers. Now will you cooperate?"

"Fuck you, _ningen_." The last word was said with utter contempt.

"I thought you knew, Three-Eyes. I'm not a ningen. I'm as much of a demon as you are. And watch your mouth, that's a very dirty word." Kurama smiled, but his eyes were hard. Hiei spat at his feet, being the only thing he could reach. He glared up at the redhead. Kurama's grin faded and he stepped on Hiei's hand. Not too hard, but enough to hurt. The only reaction Hiei showed was a slight tightening of his eyes. "Please, Three-Eyes. I'd rather not resort to violence, and I'm sure the questions won't be that difficult to answer in any way." He got off Hiei's hand.

There was a silence. Then, "Do you have the counter-poison for this shit?" Hiei asked quietly.

"I do. You can have it after you answer my questions. Deal?"

Hiei did NOT like being at the mercy of the redhead, not when he'd seen what he could do before. He decided to get it over with quickly. "Ask."

Kurama smiled, this time it seemed real. "Thank you. First question. I thought you killed Maya. But I saw her today. What really happened?"

"My Jagan," Hiei said shortly. "I can manipulate your mind and what you see. Maya was never really there, and if you were observant at all, you would have noticed that she wasn't on the tree when you came back."

Kurama blinked. 'He's right..! I guess I was just too distracted to see it…' "Why didn't you kill her for real? I don't seem to remember you having any problems with giving _me_ death threats left and right."

"I can't, you idiot. If I tried, I'd be sent to Reikai prison for the rest of my life, which could be a very long time, depending on whether or not they wanted to execute me or not."

"So that was all just a bluff?"

"Hn." Another unintelligible grunt. Kurama silently vowed to one day figure out what the boy's language of grunts exactly was.

"All right then, I guess… Second question. Why are you going to follow me, and what happened to trying to put out my power?"

"Like I said, moron, I'm not a boogeyman. I was just a stand-in for those incompetents and now I just have to do my job. Which happens to be following you. Next question." A violent tremor passed through Hiei's limbs, an effect of the paralyzing agent in his body.

"Okay…" 'Though that didn't help much…' "Third question. Who do you work for?"

Hiei rolled his eyes. "How long is this going to go on?" he asked, irritated.

"As long as it takes to get my answers. Who do you work for?"

"A bitch."

"Explain."

"No. Not until you answer one of _my_ questions."

"That wasn't in the plan."

"I don't care, you bastard. I have a question for you, and I won't answer you until you answer me."

It was Kurama's turn to roll his eyes. There was just no arguing with the stubborn demon. "Fine. Ask away."

"If you're really Yoko Kurama, how did you survive? I heard you were killed by a sloppy hunter who couldn't even be bothered to take back your body. And how did you manage to get killed by someone so stupid as to not bring back a head?"

"That's two questions, and you said _a_ question. I'll answer the first." Hiei started to growl his protest when Kurama cut him off. "Quiet, or I won't answer at all, and we'll find ourselves in a staring contest. When I was killed by that hunter, I was in my spirit fox form. I was shot and badly injured, but not killed. I managed to escape into Ningenkai and inhabited the body of the unborn child Shuichi Minamino. I was reborn into this body under the care of Shiori Minamino and grew up here. And here I stand before you, thirteen years later."

Hiei was shaking his head in disbelief. He smirked. "Tch. Now I _know_ you're Yoko Kurama. Only he could come up with something so insane and somehow pull it off."

Kurama smiled. "I think I'll take that as a compliment, coming from you," he said casually. "And now it's my turn. Once again, who do you work for?"

Hiei's semi-not-completely-dickish-mood darkened again. "A bitch. Name's Mukuro. I hate her."

"What has she done?"

"What _hasn't_ she done?!" Another shiver wracked his body, almost throwing him to the floor.

Kurama laughed. "Someone exists who _you_ think is a bad person? I never would have thought!"

"I don't know whether to feel insulted or disgusted," Hiei said, completely deadpan.

"On to business. Fourth question—"

"Enough! Are you going to give me the antidote, or not?!"

"I could ask more, you know. I _had _planned this to be my last question, but if you want me to ask about your sister…"

Hiei went livid. "Try it and I will rip out your tongue." His voice was low and harsh. He was quivering, but it was impossible to tell whether from anger or the poison.

"That's what I thought. Last question, then."

"Get on with it!" Hiei spat. He was getting tired of this game, and physically tired as well.

Kurama asked it as a child would. "What's your name?"

Hiei blinked in surprise, completely taken aback. "My… name?" Kurama nodded. "Why..?"

"Since you'll be following me, I need to know your name, since we'll inevitably talk, and you get angry when I call you Three-Eyes. So? What's your name?"

Hiei blinked again. He shook his head once out of shock and blinked some more. "It's… Hiei," he finally said faintly.

Kurama smiled warmly. "Thank you… Hiei," he said, tasting the word. "For not killing Maya."

Hiei rolled his eyes again, his daze gone. "Whatever. Give me the antidote now," he half-panted, sinking to the floor and shuddering.

"I'm sorry, Hiei," Kurama began.

"Sorry for what?!" Hiei started, already angry.

"Sorry, but you already have the antidote. The antidote is time."

"WHAT??" Hiei blinked hard once. He was starting to doze.

"I'm sorry I didn't mention before that it wears off after a while, but I needed those answers…"

"Most of them were completely unnecessary!"

"And I'm also sorry that the next stage of the poison is sleep."

"You mean I have to sleep here, and _trust you to watch over me?!_"

"I apologize—"

"Bull shit! I do NOT want to…" He yawned. "Damn you! you've made me completely h-helpless, you… you bass'ard…" Hiei glared accusingly at Kurama before passing out, hitting his head on the floor with a quiet thump. His breathing was even, a good sign that he did not have an allergic reaction to the agent. Kurama sighed and knelt by Hiei. He peered curiously at the smaller boy's face.

He marveled at how innocent Hiei looked in sleep. It was like a completely different person had fallen asleep than the one who had been insulting him just moments before. Looking at him, Kurama was unsure if Hiei really was a bad person after all. 'Really, how can someone truly evil have such an angelic face while asleep?' he thought to himself.

The next second, Kurama tensed as a knock came to his door. Shiori. 'Oh, gods, not now!'

"Shuichi? Dear, I heard voices… Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, mother," Kurama called. "Go back to bed..!"

"I'm coming in, Shuichi," Shiori replied. The door began to open as Kurama frantically looked for a place to hide Hiei.

* * *

**AH HA! EVIL CLIFFY OF DOOOOOM! What will happen next?! I love cliffhangers! But only when I'm writing them. Hmm. **

**Jorg- Heh. You better hope they don't kill you for that one.**

**Pfft. They can't do that, then they'd never find out what happens! Next chapter coming soon! Also, I'm formulating a crack fic about how Yukina is the ONLY good person in the show, and how she longs to be badass and kick demon bootay like everyone else! Of course, since its crack, Hiei finds her… "practicing" …to be badass. RANDOM STUFF HAPPENS! You will laugh. I predict it! XD**

**God that was a long chapter!**


	10. Chocolate

**A/N: I couldn't wait to get home so I could write this next chapter! XD Chapter 8 was a bitch to write, especially the beginning part with Mukuro, since I couldn't figure out what to call her tank thingy. I kept wanting to call it a regeneration tank, but I was like, "Wait, that's DBZ… Damn! Wrong show!" I've also learned how to fully function with gloves on, which isn't as easy as you might think. I need them to keep the blood flowing through my fingers, otherwise they get all stiff and I can't type. My piece-of-crap computer is downstairs, and when it's like 20 below outside, basements get REALLY cold. It sucks, I hate living here! It's too friggin' cold! UGH! Anywho, onward! **

_The next second, Kurama tensed as a knock came to his door. Shiori. 'Oh, gods, not now!' _

"_Shuichi? Dear, I heard voices… Is everything okay?"_

"_Everything's fine, mother," Kurama called. "Go back to bed..!"_

"_I'm coming in, Shuichi," Shiori replied. The door began to open as Kurama frantically looked for a place to hide Hiei._

Shiori walked through the doorway, not giving Kurama a chance to hide the body now halfway in his arms.

She stopped dead and stared. Kurama stared back. They just looked at each other with deer-in-headlight stares for about a minute before Shiori spoke.

"Shuichi..? What is that?" she asked slowly. "_Who_ is that?"

'LIE!! HURRY UP AND LIE!!' Kurama's mind was screaming at him, but he just couldn't form a lie that big out of nowhere. He looked back at her, dumbstruck, then looked down at Hiei, whose torso was in his arms and head lay on his small upper arm. He stared again for a minute, then looked back at Shiori.

"His name is Hiei. He's… one of my friends," he said uncertainly, hoping Shiori would not see through his flimsy tone. "His parents kicked him out of his house, and he's sick, so he couldn't stay outside, and he came here," he improvised.

Shiori looked shocked. "Kicked him out? Goodness, why?"

"…He didn't say… All he said before he passed out was that they kicked him out to… to go look for his missing sister."

Shiori's eyes grew even wider. "Oh goodness! His sister's missing?? And he's sick?? How horrible! Well, of course he'll be staying here tonight! I couldn't possibly think of sending him back outside, not now! What kind of sickness is it? Maybe we can help him?" she said in a worried motherly tone.

Kurama wanted to rip out his hair for all the details his mother was asking of him. "I don't quite know what the sickness is called, mother," he began.

"You don't know? Then we should probably take him to the hospital!"

"No, mother..! He'll… he'll be fine after he wakes up and eats; he's done this before…" The lies kept pouring out of Kurama's mouth, and he desperately wished his mother would stop asking questions before she asked something he couldn't answer.

"Are you sure, Shuichi? If he passed out, he should go to a doctor…"

"Yes, mother, I'm sure. If he can sleep here, he'll be fine. We have a place for him, right?"

Shiori pondered this. "Well, we don't have another room or another bed, so he can sleep on the couch…"

Kurama thought about it. He came to the conclusion that it was probably best if he didn't let Hiei out of his sight to make sure he didn't hurt anyone when he woke up. "Actually, mother, I think Hiei would be most comfortable waking up with someone he knows," Kurama said quickly. "He most likely won't remember coming here when he wakes up, and I think if he were next to me, he would get a more peaceful rest. Is that all right?"

"If you feel you can share your bed, it's fine," Shiori replied. "I won't have him sleeping on the floor; he'll get even more sick, and I don't want that. He looks so cute, I couldn't wish even a little cough on him." She smiled at Kurama and Hiei. "Do you need help getting him in the bed?"

Kurama shook his head and smiled back, grateful that he had such a kind mother. "No, I can get him into the bed myself. You should go back to bed yourself, you look tired."

"Okay, Shuichi. I want you to put him to bed and then you get to bed right after that. If you need anything, come and get me. Good night, honey." She ruffled Kurama's hair and kissed his forehead before leaving and shutting the door again.

Kurama breathed a huge sigh of relief. He looked down at Hiei. "You're lucky _she's_ not a demon, Hiei," he muttered. "We would have eaten you for breakfast." Taking off Hiei's cloak, he hoisted the fire demon into the bed and crawled in next to him. He observed that he was extremely light, much lighter than he looked. He was also very well built under the cloak and ragged shirt. Shaking his head, he pulled the blankets over them both and rolled onto his side to sleep.

Hiei woke up slowly, stiff and with a pounding head. He groaned and put a hand to his head, not opening his eyes. He noticed a few seconds later that the warm, soft, comfortable thing he was sleeping in was not a tree. He opened his eyes with some effort then, seeing not a sky, but a ceiling. He popped his eyes open and sat bolt upright. Kurama looked at him from a chair by the bed. Hiei growled at him, remembering why he was sleeping in the human's (demon's?) bed.

"Hiei, don't growl at me," Kurama said, unalarmed. "You're fine, I didn't do anything to you when you were sleeping. I haven't taken anything of yours, your sword and your cloak are in the corner." He nodded towards where they were, not taking his eyes from the fire demon. Hiei got up to get them.

"Hiei," Kurama began again. "My mother found us last night." From where he was, Hiei froze.** (1)**

"And?" he said without looking back.

"Well… My mother… has agreed to take you in for the time being."

Hiei twisted around, stunned. "What?"

"She agrees to give you a place to sleep and you're welcome to eat with us."

Hiei's eyes narrowed. "Why?" He asked, suspicious of the whole situation. "I made you believe your girlfriend was dead. Why would you do this?"

"Well, for one, Maya isn't my girlfriend, she's just a friend. Secondly, I don't very much like the idea of being stalked, so you living here is better for me, I suppose. Also, it's easier for you to keep an eye on me like this, not to mention the free food and a safe place to rest. Will you stay?"

Hiei frowned and looked down as he considered this. He looked back a minute later. "Hn."

Kurama sighed. "Would you care to translate?"

Hiei gave Kurama a sour look. "I said _yes,_ you foolish boy."

Kurama regarded him somewhat coldly. "I believe _you_ are the boy here, since I am technically over a thousand years old."

Hiei huffed. "Hn."

Kurama shook his head and relaxed again. He smiled at Hiei. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"No."

Kurama rolled his eyes. "Would you at least come down to meet my mother? She's the one who decided to let you stay."

"Why?"

Kurama chuckled a bit nervously. "Well… I had to make up a story to tell her so she would let you stay…"

"What did you tell her?" Hiei said dangerously.

"I told her that you were sick and your parents kicked you out of your house to find your missing sister…" Kurama braced himself for the coming explosion.

"YOU TOLD HER THAT?!" Hiei was outraged. "THAT WAS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS TO BEGIN WITH!"

"Yes, Hiei, I know, but I—"

"BUT NOTHING! HOW DARE YOU—"

"I needed her to believe me—"

"SO YOU TOLD HER ABOUT MY S—"

"I had no choice—"

"LIE! YOU'RE A LIAR, THAT'S ALL—"

"Boys!!" Shiori had come into the room; with both of them arguing, neither had noticed. Hiei jumped and looked about ready to leap out the window. **(2)** Kurama stood.

"I'm sorry for the noise, mother," he said calmly. "Hiei was just angry that I told you about his sister." Behind him, Hiei seethed.

A look of understanding passed over Shiori's face. "Oh, Hiei, honey, it's all right. There's no need to feel that way; I won't throw you out of my home," she said warmly. Hiei shot a glare at Kurama before grunting.

'_Just what the hell did you tell this woman? That was not all you told her, was it?'_ Hiei asked directly into Kurama's mind. Kurama jumped at the sudden intrusion and looked, startled, at Hiei. Hiei raised an eyebrow and smirked. _'What's the matter? Never done this before?'_

Kurama looked at him smartly. _'For your information, I know how to access my psychic abilities, thank you very much. I just didn't know you could, too.'_

Hiei rolled his eyes. 'Typical. Underestimating me, just like the rest.'

"Would you like some breakfast, Hiei dear?" Shiori asked pleasantly.

'_Accept the breakfast. It has to have been a while since you last ate; you were practically feather-light when I lifted you into the bed. You must be hungry,'_ Kurama said telepathically in order to keep from completely embarrassing Hiei.

Hiei glared at him. "Hn."

When Shiori looked confused, Kurama put a hand on Hiei's shoulder, ignoring his low hiss. "He means he'd love to come down for breakfast," Kurama said with a smile, pushing Hiei firmly into the stairway.

'_What makes you think I'll eat your nasty ningen food?'_

'_Because, Hiei, now that you live here, you're going to have to get used to it, or else you might upset my mother, and then I'd have to hurt you.'_ He said all this with a smile. Hiei rolled his eyes and grunted again, walking alongside Kurama of his own accord. _'Besides, Mother makes excellent food,'_ he goaded.

"Hn."

Only after they had all gotten downstairs and Shiori had asked Hiei what he wanted did Kurama realize he had no idea what Hiei liked or even what he ate.

"I'm not hungry," Hiei kept saying, ignoring subtle glares from the kitsune. Shiori eventually gave in and accepted Hiei's answer. Kurama, however, did not.

"Hiei, you need to eat something."

"No."

"But why?"

"I don't need to. I don't need your help or your food."

Kurama had an idea. He switched tactics. "I'll make it myself," he prodded.

Hiei's eyes narrowed. "After last night, why should I take _anything_ you give me?"

"If you want, I'll taste it to prove it's not poison…" he said, irked. Hiei just stared blankly at him. "It tastes good. Like nothing you've ever tasted before. They don't have it in Makai. Humans eat it all the time, it's considered a treat by lots of people."

Hiei rolled his eyes again, his curiosity getting the better of him. "What's it called?" he asked, trying to sound apathetic.

Kurama grinned, knowing he'd won. "Chocolate."

"It sounds gross."

"It looks kind of gross, too, but trust me, you'll fall in love with it on the first bite."

Hiei sighed. "Do you have any?"

"As a matter of fact…" Kurama walked to the fridge and produced a shiny, tin foil wrapped chunk of the sweet. He unwrapped it and handed it to Hiei. "Go on, take a bite."

Hiei stared at it. "You first."

Kurama took it from him and happily took a bite. He smiled at Hiei, handing it back to him. Hiei looked at Kurama, who was thoroughly enjoying the chocolate, then back to his hand. "It really does look gross." Kurama watched with laughing eyes as Hiei tasted chocolate for the first time. He chuckled softly as he watched Hiei's eyes light up at the flavor and took another bite.

"Looks like you have a sweet tooth," Kurama said, with humor in his voice. Hiei ignored him and ate the rest of the chocolate in three bites. "I think I've created a monster," he joked, laughing. Hiei looked at him without emotion. "Only kidding, Hiei."

"I am not going to sleep there," Hiei insisted, obstinate.

"Hiei, my mother doesn't want you to sleep on the floor…"

"Too bad."

"Hiei…"

"I've slept in worse."

"I'm sure you have, but…"

"A floor in a house is nothing compared to sleeping on a wet cavern bottom in the middle of a blizzard. So shut up."

Kurama shook his head. "I should start calling you Hiei the Mule." A blank stare was his reply. "Fine, do what you want," he sighed.

"Hn." Hiei moved to the corner and sat down, his back pressed against the walls and his katana like a bar in front of him, resting across his knees. Kurama shook his head sadly, crawling into his bed.

"I know you don't trust anyone, but still…" he murmured, drifting into sleep.

Hiei frowned pensively and didn't get to sleep for a long time.

**Heh. Yes, Hiei is a sugar demon, because I find it cute. I really have nothing to say about this chapter… it was mostly dialogue… Hmm. Seven pages of dialogue… -shakes head- In the next chapter, you might be able to find the beginnings of the next big conflict, if you look hard enough. –grins- **

**I was wrong, I do have something to say about a couple of lines in here… **

**That line sounds incredibly dirty, no matter how you look at it… It makes me laugh. X3 I lost the game… **

**(2) If that was written for anyone else, it would make him or her sound suicidal, but everyone just takes it as normal when written for Hiei. That fact also makes me laugh. XD I can't take my own writing seriously after I've written it! –laughs-**


	11. Dreams

Hiei didn't sleep the next night. Or the next. Or the next. What might have looked like sleep could only just barely be considered a doze. He reasoned that this was because he was now living under new and sudden conditions, but reason could not shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong. Kurama had, without fail, been having nightmares every night, waking up at the same time each night, sweating and gasping for air. Hiei was just as exhausted as Kurama was, the lack of sleep had taken a bit of a toll on him.

Usually, during the day, when Kurama was at school, Hiei wandered the woods around the house, familiarizing himself with them further. Occasionally, he would flit from rooftop to rooftop in the city, looking around with contempt at the humans. Today, however, he lay in the tree outside Kurama's window and took a much-needed nap.

* * *

_Hiei ran through a field of black and dark blue flowers, scattered among occasional red and white roses. He slowed to a stop and looked up at the red and purple sky that seemed to transform to Ningenkai sky blue as he watched. He was in the Makai. He was home. He closed his eyes and drank in the smell of the flowers; the sky; the blood. _

_When he opened his eyes, he was not alone. A tall man dressed in black looked at him evenly through calm, spectacled, cold, and hateful eyes. Hiei narrowed his own eyes and crouched into a battle position, reaching for his sword, only to realize with dismay that it was gone. He growled at the man, whose eyes now seemed to be laughing, though his expression had not changed. Hiei decided he did not like the man at all. _

"_You are not the fox…" the man said in a deeper voice than Hiei would have expected. "Nor are you his mother… But you are a pretty prize nonetheless. I might keep you as I plan to keep him." At this, the man approached Hiei, who suddenly realized he could not move at all. The man smiled, his eyes growing even colder and narrowing unpleasantly. Hiei had to repress a shiver as the man reached out an icy finger to trace the line of his jaw. Hiei snapped his teeth at the finger, but the man pulled it out of his reach and backhanded him to the ground. _

_Instead of landing in the flowers, Hiei felt his head connect with hot, hard stone. He looked around again, finding only a frigid snow field that glittered as black as onyx, littered with stark white rocks and boulders. He shuddered as the frozen air from the ebony sky entered his lungs, chilling him to his very bones. The man seemed not to notice the temperature; maybe he was the source of it? His eyes were certainly cold enough. The black snow came down softly, yet maliciously at the same time, as if it resented the world of white it was alighting upon, drowning it in the sparkling sable color. _

_Hiei used the stone he had collided with to stable himself as he stood, finding it was not cold, but warm. He frowned at it—why was it warm if it was snowing? The world was warm under all the ice, but the warmth seemed to sink away as the cold covered it. It wouldn't be long before the radiance in the entire realm was gone forever under cold, hard, permafrost. For a moment, Hiei was greatly saddened by this fact. It seemed a shame to lose such a beautiful place to the ugly, eternal winter. _

_The man, who had appeared to fuse with the landscape for the duration of Hiei's musings, separated himself from the darkness around him and laughed. Hiei whirled his head around to meet the eyes of the mysterious, somber man. _

"_Where are we?" he asked, a little unnerved by the echo that should not have been. _

_The man smiled again. "You know exactly where you are."_

_Hiei glared at him. "I'll ask only once more. _Where are we?_" The man just laughed, the silky noise sending chills down Hiei's spine. Hiei growled and flitted behind him to attack, but the second he was about to hit the man, he was paralyzed again. The man pushed him into the snow. _

"_You should know this place better than any who walk in the three worlds, little flame." Just_ how_ the man did not sink into the shadows when he wore all black, Hiei did not know. He shook his head._

"_Then who are you?" _

"_That's not for you to know," the man said with a delicate giggle, though it was anything but girly. "All you need to know is that the fox you reside with will be mine, and perhaps, if you are lucky, you will be as well." _

_Hiei stood, wrath burning in him, and unleashed a torrent of blazing red flames from his right arm, but the only effect turned the black snow the color of blood and blackened the stone under it. The man was now a bit more visible, and his long, dark hair fluttered in a nonexistent breeze. As Hiei watched, the colors slowly faded to what they had been before._

"_It's a mite unpleasant here, isn't it?" the man said tauntingly, as if he knew exactly where the two were located. "The whole world will be glacial soon, unless something happens to change it. Much unlike other places and minds I have seen. It's very strong… and yet so wonderfully fragile. Although," he added, "it could be marvelously corrupted, and then it would be absolutely beautiful in its taint…" Here he giggled again._

"_You won't touch it," Hiei snarled protectively. _

"_Why so defensive of it? You don't even know where you are!" The tone in the man's voice seemed close to laughing._

"_You're sick! Why would you want to destroy this place?!"_

"_Because…" He looked at the sky. "A thing ruined is beautiful. A shadow; a ghost of its former glory… Then reflecting back on the beauty it held… It's just pleasurable to me, that's all. And the more the object resists, the more satisfaction I gain in breaking it. This world, however, has more than just me to tear it apart. See? Look…" He pointed to a pedestal-like stone to his right. "This place will destroy itself. All I must do is watch. Those are the things that will break this world."_

_Hiei looked to where the man had indicated and frowned in confusion. He approached the large, flat stone that stuck above the snow and gazed down at the items on it. _

_There was a pure, clear ice crystal encircled by a necklace of small, round, pale gems. Hiei reached out to touch it, then thought better of it and retracted his hand. He didn't want to vitiate the pretty thing; it seemed too precious and beautiful for him to reach out to. _

_The article next to it was a large, glass eyeball. Hiei wrinkled his nose at it, as it seemed to be staring at him and insinuated a horrifying familiarity. He quickly moved to the last two objects._

_The third was a mirror gilded with silver. Hiei picked it up and looked into it without hesitation, seeing only his three eyes, though his Jagan was covered. As one they began to glow, and then the mirror-Jagan started to bleed, looking much like it was crying. The mirror-Jagan's iris glowed its usual purple, then the mirror cracked at the point of the Jagan's pupil and shattered. Hiei shivered, that was about as bad an omen there could be. He quickly put down the mirror and moved to the only item left._

_It was a beautiful red rose with silver tips, the almost hideously long thorns sticking out in a surreal way. As beautiful as it was, however, there was something about it that seemed… twisted, corrupt… wrong. There was something wrong with it, it was sick… dying. Hiei picked it up with concern, and as he did so, the thorns shrank, the petals' color became healthier, and the rose appeared to liven and brighten as Hiei touched it, almost caressing it. He looked back at the man, still holding the rose as if it were his own heart. _

"_What is this? What does it mean?"_

_The man closed his eyes and laughed, this time an evil, sadistic sound. He raised his eyelids just enough to gaze at Hiei as if he were a lover, though his gaze was utter hate. "You will find out soon enough, little flame. But you and the fox will be mine in the end."_

_Hiei growled in the back of his throat when he heard a sort of crackling sound behind him. The man had somehow gotten behind him and was now holding the gems and the eyeball, each in one hand. He cackled malevolently as the eye exploded in his hand, then the beads and the crystal. Hiei's visage turned to shock and terror as the man pointed at the rose in his hands. Hiei held it to his chest, but it was no use. It detonated just like the other two had, and it sprayed its crimson color over Hiei's torso, looking too much like blood for his comfort. _

"_Your turn." _

_Hiei's eyes went wide just before a sharp, burning pain erupted on all four of his limbs, then his breast. All five wounds bled badly, and he coughed up more of the metallic liquid, staining the inky snow with it. He shivered, dying as he stared into those cold eyes one last time as the man called out his name to him, mocking him in his death…_

* * *

And then he woke up.

* * *

**DAMN, I am proud of that! Yes. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I had a lot of fun with it, can ya tell?? All right, though. A few things. NO, the villain is NOT a dementor. This is NOT an HP crossover. NO, the villain is NOT ITACHI. This is NOT Mangekyo (sp?) world. YES, I DO hate the cold. Very much so. **

**On another note… Kudos to anyone who can figure out the four ENORMOUS metaphors in Hiei's dream. I'll give you a hint: Three of the four items were a metaphor, and the dream-world itself was a metaphor. The items shouldn't be that hard to figure out, but I will be REALLY surprised if anyone figures out what the dream-world was a metaphor of. Or I'll be REALLY sad if everyone gets it without thinking. TT There are little hints and stuff in there, so if you look really hard, you'll figure it out. –smiles- Ta for now, then! **


	12. Bonding?

**Well… Those weren't exactly what I'd expected… I thought everyone would guess what the world and the items were right away, but almost nobody got it right! The few people who got close had the answers in the wrong places, so I guess I did a good job, eh? I'll give another hint. The metaphorical items were the necklace, the eyeball, and the rose. Another hint: All four metaphors were people. (Jorg- Oh if **_**that**_** didn't give it away…) Shutup dammit! Anyway, it'll be obvious when you figure it out, or after it explains itself (which will probably be very, very soon), whatever comes first. –shrugs- **

* * *

"Hiei?" Kurama called from the ground. "Hiei, wake up! Come down from there already!"

Hiei snapped his eyes open and jumped with a gasp, throwing him off balance and sending him plummeting to the ground. He landed softly on a large leaf Kurama had grown to break his fall, and lay there, eyes still wide.

"That's not exactly what I meant when I said 'come down'… Hiei? What's wrong?" Kurama had come close enough to notice the shocked expression on the smaller apparition's face.

Hiei lay still, not acknowledging Kurama, breathing heavily. Kurama reached down to touch him. "…Hiei?"

Hiei flinched violently from the touch and stared at Kurama. He shivered once and blinked a few times, then calmed down.

"I'm back from school, Hiei," Kurama started cautiously. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"…Nothing," Hiei said at length. Kurama put on a skeptical look.

"Liar. Were you doing something you shouldn't? Spying, perhaps?"

Hiei's eyes narrowed at the redhead angrily. "Why the hell are you so concerned? It's none of your business!"

Kurama rolled his eyes. "Hiei, if something's happened that's big enough to get you frightened, and you live with me, I would think it _is_ my business, so spill it."

Hiei sneered at him. "Yes, since you're in _such_ a position to protect us all…"

"I beat _you_, didn't I?"

"There were conditions then. If we were to fight for real, you would not survive the encounter."

"Yes, that makes me so intimidated," Kurama responded sarcastically. "Now will you tell me what's going on, or do I have to weasel the information out?" Hiei grunted. "I'd rather not do that, Hiei. You know that can be unpleasant. So tell me."

"All right! If you must know, it was a dream! Are you happy now?" Hiei snapped.

Kurama frowned. "A dream? What kind of dream?"

"A bad one! What, do you expect to know something about it?" Hiei was close to shouting.

"Calm down, Hiei. I just thought, since I've been having nightmares of late, they might be connected..."

"And _why_ would you think this?" Hiei asked flatly.

"Well… In order for me to make sure, I would need to know what happened in the dream…"

"Do I have to?"

"Well, because it concerns the welfare of my mother and myself, yes!"

Hiei rolled his eyes at him, but acquiesced, needing to relay the morbid scene to another. "Well… I was in a field. And then I was… somewhere else. I don't know where," he began, in that way one begins when telling a story secondhand. "It was dark there, but the ground was white. The sky was black, and… the snow was black, too. And then there was a man…"

"What did the man look like?" Kurama asked interestedly, pleased that Hiei had let him into his mind so easily. Not because he wanted to provoke him again, but because he really was genuinely interested. Hiei frowned at remembering the man.

"He was tall and pale, and wore all black clothing. His hair was also black, and long."

"And his eyes?" It was barely more than a whisper.

"They… were… like purple icicles in a frozen wasteland." He shuddered. "Anyway, he spoke to me. The first thing he said was, 'You are not the fox,' so I assume he meant you." Suddenly, Hiei shifted and became uncomfortable. "It was only a dream anyway," he said quickly. "It doesn't matter." Kurama was silent, but he stood with Hiei.

"Would you like to come inside to eat, Hiei?" Kurama asked, looking absorbed in other things. Hiei nodded and flitted up to the window. Seeing this made Kurama laugh a little, breaking him from his trance. "Hiei, you _do_ live here now; you _can_ use the door," he said, still chuckling, before walking in through the door and shutting it. He knew Hiei wouldn't use it anyway.

Hiei came down the stairs after a minute, finding Kurama in the kitchen. The two were alone together; Shiori having gone to work after greeting Kurama and informing her son of Hiei's whereabouts—not that she needed to.

"What would you like to eat today, Hiei? Something new? Or something you know?"

Hiei shrugged. "I don't care. Whatever's edible," he said, flopping down in a chair unceremoniously.

"Hmm… New it is, then," Kurama responded cheerfully. He had not forgotten about Hiei's dream, but now that the little demon seemed back to normal, he wouldn't bring it up again unless he had a reason.

Kurama opened up a cupboard and shuffled through it until finding the spices he needed. He then procured a large cut of beef from the refrigerator and something to cook it all in. "Do you like vegetables, Hiei?" Kurama asked as he was doing all of this. Hiei shrugged nonchalantly, not familiar with the plants of Ningenkai. "All right, vegetables are in, then." He produced some carrots and celery from the refrigerator as well. Starting the stove, he began to cook.

* * *

Later, when the pungent, delicious smell of spiced steak was wafting through the air, Hiei came to stand beside Kurama. The redhead looked over his shoulder at Hiei. "Yes? Did you want something?" Hiei merely stood and watched, looking semi-interested in what Kurama was doing. "All right," Kurama said, perplexed, continuing to cook.

"What are you doing to the meat?" Hiei asked after a while.

"Umm, cooking it? Why, does it seem weird to you?"

"Shouldn't you leave it raw and bloody?"

Kurama was amused by the fire demon. "Is that what you do?"

Hiei shrugged. "Most of the time, but I thought you would prefer it that way, since foxes are carnivorous."

It was Kurama's turn to shrug. "That is true, but this body is human and therefore more susceptible to certain diseases that eating uncooked food might bring about." Hiei snorted and muttered something about the frailty of humans before sitting back down. "You're going to like this, Hiei. It's good, trust me." He smiled as the food was finished and Kurama joined Hiei at the table to eat.

* * *

Hiei didn't sleep that night. He didn't want to have a repeat of last night's encounter. Instead, he opted to stare out of Kurama's window, occasionally looking over at the kitsune as he slept.

Kurama was in the same state as he had been the past nights. Shifting constantly, sweating, and muttering slightly; Hiei could tell he was having another nightmare. He shook his head and the Jagan glowed to his bidding. Kurama's eyes popped open after a few seconds, and he looked at Hiei. Hiei looked back at him impassively, then shrugged and sat in the windowsill. Kurama stared at Hiei, who was no longer looking at him.

'Why did he wake me up..?' Kurama wondered. 'I'm sure he knows I was having a nightmare, but why would he care..?' The redhead was too sleepy at the moment to sort out his thought properly. He decided to ask the dark one about it in the morning, and went back to sleep quickly.

* * *

**All right, I know this chapter was kinda short (or it seems that way to me), and whatever. I'm writing my way through some grey right now, trying to figure out how the next big thing is gonna go down. I know what needs to happen, don't worry, it's not like I'm stuck or anything, but it might take a little longer than I expected to make it happen. In the meantime, I'm going to hold a vote of sorts. Here it is: WHO WANTS MORE HIEIxKURAMA FLUFF TO GO ON BEFORE THE NEXT PLOT DEVELOPMENT? And I'm talking some serious fluff, not just those little adorable moments you get in the show. VOTE IN YOUR REVIEWS!! XD **


	13. Hazy Information

**All right. First of all, I sincerely apologize for that last chapter. It was utter crap, I know. It sucked monkey nuts and donkey dick, but that's beside the point. I probably should rewrite it because it was rather boring, but how do you expect the chapter after _dreamworld _to sound exiting? I probably won't rewrite it… I'm too lazy. (Jorg—Yeah you are…) WHO ASKED YOU, YA POTHEAD!? By the way, the vote on fluff came out like 15-1 in favor of the fluffiness, so there will be fluff. Just not sure when or how much yet. Haven't figured it out.**Kurama came home and approached the tree outside his bedroom window, only to find it empty. He frowned, reaching out with his mind, detecting no hint of Hiei's recent energy anywhere nearby.

* * *

He walked into his home, a little unsettled. He could usually find Hiei in the tree looking bored. 'Where's he gone off to?'

* * *

Hiei walked the narrow path leading to the gates of the Reikai Castle. It had been a week since he'd had the dark dream, and he needed to check in with Mukuro. He found the whole report thing a real nuisance.

Hiei arrived at the door leading to her department's wind and pushed it open, an annoyed look on his face. The ogres scattered like usual, their chins holding down the tops of stacks of paper as they ran. The fire demon chuckled and rolled his eyes, flinging open Mukuro's door with an impassive air.

"I'm here," he said flatly to the back of Mukuro's chair, taking a seat and putting his feet on the half-bionic woman's desk.

"I noticed," she replied without turning. "And get your feet off those papers." Hiei smirked in amusement at annoying her but complied.

"What do you have for me?" Hiei asked, becoming more serious. "All you told me before you kicked me out last time was that she was in Ningenkai. Do you have an idea of where yet?" he added rudely.

"Yes, but you're not going to like it," she said, sounding almost entertained.

"What. Is. It?" Hiei growled, losing patience.

"Somewhere you can't go," Mukuro said, turning her chair and smiling. She was clearly enjoying teasing Hiei.

"Woman, if you don't tell me…"

"You'll what? Kill me?" She smirked at Hiei. "But then you would have no information, would you?"

"I hate you."

"I know."

"So tell me already!"

"She's… stuck."

Hiei narrowed his eyes in irritation and glared at Mukuro. "Stuck _where_?"

"Stuck… Let's call it an in-between world, for convenience."

Hiei's countenance changed from impatience to confusion. "An 'in-between world?'" he asked.

Mukuro frowned, becoming serious as well. "Yes. We're not sure what to call it, because it's nowhere we've been before."

"Then how did you find her?" Hiei asked.

"One of my better psychics and I worked together to see where she was. It was not much of an image to see."

"Was she hurt? Is she all right?!" Hiei barked, jumping up. Despite what he wanted people to see, he was quite protective of his sister. He silently half-scolded himself for letting even Mukuro see that side of him, even though he knew full well that she knew that side of him. Otherwise he'd never look at her, much less work under her, and Mukuro and Hiei both understood that.

"She was fine. What I meant was that we couldn't exactly see where she was, but got more of a strong impression. The one holding her was strong enough to block both my and my assistant's senses combined."

"Well… What was the impression, then?"

"It was like we were sleeping. After the vision, both of us 'woke up.'"

"Sleeping..?"

Mukuro nodded. She stood up and roughly walked to the door. "And of your charge?" she inquired, speaking of Kurama.

Hiei rolled his eyes and slumped his shoulders in exasperation. "What's there to tell?" he said harshly. "He lives like a human. I doubt he's any threat to anything the toddler's got going on here," he continued, aggravated by the change of subject.

"So we thought as well, before he broke into one of our treasuries and stole many of our most valuable items in his past life," Mukuro countered.

Hiei snorted. "That was as Yoko Kurama. The Kurama I know has a weak human body and weak human emotions. I doubt he could pull anything like that off again. He's like a cripple."

Mukuro shook her head. "I don't care. You're still to shadow him and report in regularly. Got it? Now go," she said curtly, not giving Hiei a chance to answer as she pushed him out of the room and shut the door, effectively ending the conversation. Hiei growled loudly and kicked the door just hard enough to rattle the frame before stomping off in a huff. He _hated_ getting the information one piece at a time.

* * *

Kurama rolled over in his sleep as the all the clocks in his dream started ticking very loudly at the same time. They surrounded him and floated around his head as he heard a low, dark chuckle emerge from the blackness around him. The blackness shimmered and became rushes and swathes of color, mingling and swirling; eventually becoming a field of flowers around a single tree. A stream and a small waterfall materialized next to him. The cascade made an incessant plinking sound, annoying the fox greatly. The plinking became louder and more insistent, and finally turned into an earsplitting pounding.

The redhead groaned and sat up, waking from his dream. He was partly annoyed, but partly glad that the infuriating sound had stopped. He jumped violently as the tapping sounded again, and he looked around wildly until his gaze landed on the window. It was pouring rain outside, and Hiei sat in the tree, looking angry, drenched, and swordless. He was not wearing his cloak. He rapped on the window with his knuckles, growling, until Kurama finally had the sense to throw off his blanked and let the demon inside.

"It's about time!" Hiei snarled, throwing off the water.

"Hiei, you're back!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed," he spat, glaring.

"Where did you go?" Kurama continued, ignoring Hiei's rudeness.

"None of your business," he snapped back, shivering almost invisibly.

"If you were cold, why didn't you just pick the lock on the window?" Kurama asked, noticing.

"_I can't pick a lock!_" Hiei growled angrily.

"How did you get in last time my window was locked?"

"I pried it open with _that_," Hiei rumbled, pointing at his sword lying atop his cloak in the corner. "I didn't bring it with me because I wasn't going to do any fighting while I was gone. Get it?! Any more questions you might have??" Kurama smiled and nodded. "UGH! What then?"

"Do you want some dry clothes?"

Hiei blinked, startled by the sudden kindness. He put his usual scowl back in place and shook his head. "No. I'll dry these myself," he said less angrily.

Kurama shrugged and yawned. "Suit yourself, but do it before you get into the bed…" He walked back and snuggled under the sheets again. Hiei looked down at himself and raised his ki to dry the clothes. They dried out unpleasantly stiffly, probably due to the tree sap and dirt ground into the fabric. He rolled his shoulders and bent and stretched his legs to attempt to remedy this.

Kurama smiled and got out of the bed once again. He walked gracefully to his dresser and pulled out a large tee-shirt and a pair of shorts, both dark in color. He held them out to Hiei, who had just then looked back up at the boy to see what he was doing. Hiei eyed them skeptically.

"Just take them. They've got to be more comfortable than your clothes at this point," Kurama said lightly, presenting the garments.

Hiei's doubtful glance did not waver, but he took the clothes from Kurama. The kitsune smiled wider and went back to the bed, tucking his head under the blankets to give Hiei some privacy as he changed. He felt the bed shift and poked his head out of the covers. Hiei lay there, his back turned to Kurama, just like every other night. Kurama gave Hiei's back a warm smile and rolled over as well. He looked back as he heard a low sound from behind him.

"What?"

"I said 'thank you,'" Hiei repeated awkwardly. Kurama strained to hold in a fit of laughter.

"You're welcome," he answered, closing his eyes to sleep.

* * *

**-sighs and shakes head- I want more action soon… v; …That was… fluff-ish… I guess… There'll be more; I actually hadn't planned that to be there, so think of it as a tiny bonus. :)**


	14. Nightmares

**A/N: OMFG!! I'M FINALLY WRITING AGAIN!! CELEBRATE!! TELL THE PRESS!! KIKI FAIRY IS BACK!! XDDD **

**All right. I'm sure I should explain myself for my mega long absence… I've been going through a lot of bullshit lately, and my school system switched to trimesters this year, so I've been really busy with homework and whatnot. Also, I FINALLY GOT A NEW COMPUTER!! ONE THAT ACTUALLY CAN **_**USE**_** A JUMP DRIVE!! OMG!! AND I DON'T HAVE TO SIT IN THE COLD BASEMENT TO USE IT!! YAAAAY!! The problem was, though, that my old computer **_**can't**_** use a jump drive, but my new computer can, although the new one doesn't have a slot for the floppy disc I was using. DX So I had to find another way to get the files onto the jump drive, and pressed for time as I was, I couldn't do it very expediently. I am really sorry about this. I hate it when a story I like doesn't get updated in forever. I APOLOGIZE, REALLY!! –bows low and humbly gives a million cookies to all still-faithful readers-**

'An in between world… What the hell does that even mean?' Hiei had been pondering Mukuro's statement since he heard what she had to say. He shook his head. It had been a couple of days since then, and he still had no idea what the bionic woman meant. She could be the epitome of vagueness sometimes, but not as much as the damn kitsune. Kurama, always speaking in riddles and saying random, seemingly pointless things; which was an annoying habit the fox had just recently gotten into. 'He's obviously trying to cover up for something. But that doesn't matter now. An in between world… in Ningenkai? What?' He shook his head as Kurama approached, getting home from school.

"Hello, Hiei," he said lightly, looking up into Hiei's usual spot in the tree. Hiei looked down and grunted, but said nothing more. Kurama shrugged, this being normal, and went inside to cook himself an early dinner. "Do you want any food, Hiei?" he called out of the window. He was ignored, much to his annoyance, so he just shut the window and continued to cook.

Hiei was still consumed in his own thoughts. Mukuro had thrown him for a loop with that last bit of shit she called information she had given him. He shook his head and tried to think deeper on it all.

Kurama growled in his sleep as he tossed violently. Hiei looked over at him, undisturbed by this. Since he had come back from Mukuro's office, the boy's nightmares had gotten worse. Suddenly curious, Hiei peeked into the dream, making sure he did not interfere.

_Kurama was standing on a large rock next to a waterfall. He was looking up at the crest of the falls, where a dark figure had his mother, who was terrified and dangerously close to the ledge. "Give her back to me!" Kurama shouted up to the two. A cold laugh was heard, along with his mother's shriek as the figure feigned pushing her over. The redhead growled angrily at the figure; if he could do anything about it, the person would already be dead and his mother would be safe at the bottom of the waterfall, but somehow his powers were being sealed here, so he would need to find a cleverer way to save her. _

Hiei frowned, his eyes closed and his Jagan glowing. This place seemed familiar, but he couldn't place where he was. Certainly he would not linger in an open and exposed place like this for very long, so why would it be so striking to him? Disregarding this for the moment, he continued watching the dream of the fox.

_Kurama had not moved, knowing that if he started to climb the cliff to his mother, the figure would just throw her down into the water and sharp rocks below, but if he did not do anything, the figure would do the same just to torment him; and not having his powers did not help in the least. His mind raced, going through the possible situations he could go through. None of them were very pleasant. He shook his head in frustration and looked back up at the person, still somehow hidden in shadow, even though it was midday. _

"_Who are you?" he called up. _

"_Do you really need to know?" the figure said. It was a man. Kurama exhaled. _

"_No, I suppose not. But I do need to know what you want and why you need my mother to do it."_

"_Oh, my dear boy," the man said in a too-sweet voice. "I want nothing more than you."_

_Kurama was completely taken aback. "What?"_

"_You heard me." The man jumped down, leaving Shiori up on the rocks. The second he landed, the landscape began to change at the point of his impact from a flowery field to a dead, dry wasteland. Everything withered and browned outward from his feet. The rich, dark soil dried and lightened to a dusty, dead-flat brown. The trees' leaves all died and crumbled to ashes, then blew away in the wind as the wood became twisted and warped, its color changing to a charred black. All the water Kurama could see became tainted and then immediately visibly evaporated; the air becoming thick and choking. The sky bled from a clear blue to apocalypse red, with a brown haze covering the horizon. The world had just died. _

"_What… what did you do..?" Kurama was in shock, staring aghast at the hideous land around him; and there was nothing he could do to fix it. _

_The man chuckled darkly. Kurama held back a shudder at the sound. Now that he could get a good look at the man, he wished he never had. His eyes were filled with a sickening emotion Kurama recognized immediately as the kind of lust a serial rapist has. "Such a beautiful fox. Especially when you're afraid. You'll be mine in the end of all of this."_

Hiei flinched, wide-eyed, from the dream. It was the same man that had killed him in his own nightmare. He took only half a second to look back in.

_Kurama had backed away from the advances of the cold eyes that hunted him. His back hit the hard bark of the tree, and suddenly he was frozen cold; he could not move. The man moved closer, his expression a rather unpleasant leer. "Well, now," the man started, moving ever closer. "I believe you have… a predicament."_

"_Get away!" Kurama growled, bristling. _

"_So fiery… You know, between you and the tiny excuse for a candle flame, I'm going to have a very good time." _

"_Candle flame..? You can't mean Hiei..!" _

"_Of course. Although, I'm going to need a much softer victim. As satisfying as a challenge is, toying with the weak is so very fun."_

"_You're sick!" _

"_And you're beautiful. And I want it. I _will_ have you, Kurama. In one way or another." The man moved forward again and leaned in to run his fingers through Kurama's hair. Kurama did not—could not—move as the fingers moved from his hair to trace the line of his jaw and down his neck to his collarbone. _

Hiei watched this with disgust, but was hesitant about waking the fox up. He still had a job to do, and watching Kurama without disturbance was part of it.

"_Stop it!" Kurama almost shouted, his face shock and revulsion. The man raised a contemptuous eyebrow and paused thoughtfully. He smirked and acquiesced. Kurama's eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion. This was not the kind of man that would stop doing what he wanted just because he was told to. _

"_Yes. Of course. Since you can't move at the moment… I have something else to do." Kurama's eyes widened, expecting something horrible._

_The man stepped back and gestured widely to another tree. Kurama was shocked to see Hiei emerge from behind it. _

"_Hiei..?"_

_Hiei walked as if in a trance. He had a one-thousand-yard-stare and his eyes were glassy. The taller did not hinder him as he approached, but let him continue, right up to where the man was standing. He put a long-fingered hand on Hiei's shoulder and smirked darkly. _

"_What are you going to do to him?" Kurama asked quickly. There was no answer to hear. The man just turned his head to Kurama and smirked wider. Hiei turned and looked up at the man with emptiness in his eyes. The man bent at the knees as if he were about to talk to a small child and drew out his first two fingers, moving as if to touch Hiei. Kurama would have jumped at this, but he was still unable to move. _

_The man noticed Kurama's imperceptible shift like he was a mind reader. He turned his head and smirked again, then turned back to Hiei and touched him lightly on each shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee, letting his fingers drag as he did so. He stood and ignored Hiei as he faced Kurama again. "Do you like violence, Kurama?" _

_Kurama frowned, instantly on guard. "An odd question. I would have to say no, except in the most necessary of circumstances. Why do you ask?"_

_The man grinned. "Do you like this one?" he asked, holding his hand towards Hiei and ignoring Kurama's question. "He's so small; it's a wonder he's not more frail. Unless, of course, he's just hiding it. Would you like to find out?"_

_Kurama glared. "What are you going to do??" he repeated, sharper than before. The man chuckled and slowly held up a finger. Hiei's face was still as dead as the terrain as the man snapped his fingers. _

_At the unnatural echo of the click, Hiei's right shoulder ripped open violently, spraying blood everywhere. His face contorted with intense pain and his screams were nearly unbearable for the fox. Another click. Hiei's left shoulder exploded, forcing him to recoil in that direction without falling."Stop!" Kurama yelled. Click. Right elbow. Recoil. Click. Left elbow. Recoil. Click. Both knees. Click. Both hips. Hiei dropped to his injured knees and sucked air through his teeth, growling fiercely with the punishment. "Stop! What are you doing?! Hiei!" Hiei looked at him, eyes agony and blame. "H-Hiei..!"_

"_If you… weren't so damn weak…" he panted between growls, "this wouldn't be happening. This… is your… fault…" He groaned pitifully as he collapsed from his knees to the ground, shuddering and coughing up blood. It soaked into the dusty ground and the wounds on his body at once began to fester._

"_Hiei!!" _

"_Oh… I guess he really was fragile after all. It figures, what with that slender build he's got. But what would you know of that?" _

"_You sick bastard!" _

"_Sick?" The man laughed a frigid, silvery noise. "You haven't seen anything yet. I haven't even touched your mother yet..!" _

"_You son of a bitch!" Kurama's emotions let loose, and he was suddenly free from his invisible bonds. He leaped at the man, landing a fist square in his face. The man dropped to the side, and Kurama knelt down to see Hiei closer. He turned the small demon over and held him, just like that night Shiori found the two in the kitsune's room. "Hiei?"_

_Hiei coughed weakly, panting shallowly. His blood flow had begun to slow, and his head lolled slightly. Kurama shook him. "Hiei!" Hiei's rolling eyes found him, slowly. _

"_Your damn fault…" he managed to get out. "Let go of me and… look behind you."_

_Kurama looked. The man was upright, not a mark on him. He felt the weight in his arms suddenly go limp, and his head wheeled back to Hiei, now lifeless in his grasp. "Damn you… Damn you to hell!" he shouted at the taller one, now grinning profusely._

"_Honestly, let go of me!" It was Hiei's voice, but the body in Kurama's arms was still dead. He looked around in confusion, as did the man, though he tried to hide it. _

_Hiei walked out again from the tree, this time looking impatient. "What did I just say? Let go of me, damn it! You look like a damn fool!" Hiei said, in his normal arrogant tone._

_Kurama's jaw dropped. "Hiei??" _

_Hiei glared at him, then at the man. "What?? This is getting ridiculous! I'm putting an end to it," he snarled, flitting past the man and stopping behind him. A flash of steel was just barely seen. A quick, echoed scream left the once grinning lips, and the man fell to pieces—literally—and exploded into black dust. The background melted away around them, and they were left in a void of white._

_After a brief moment, Kurama leapt at Hiei. Catching the Koorime off guard, the redhead seized him around the middle and tackled him to the ground, hugging his belly. Hiei gave out a sort of chirping noise and went stiff with surprise and mortification. "You… you got us out… we're out… we're out," Kurama said, his breathing erratic. Was… he crying? "Inari knows what he would have done… thank you, thank you, thank you…" _

_Hiei, feeling awkward, raised his power and let the Jagan glow._

Kurama woke up slowly with a slight pain in his neck. He lay where he was for a minute before he realized that his cheeks were wet and the reason his neck hurt was because he was hanging onto Hiei's middle for dear life, much to the dismay of the shorter.

"Hiei..?" Kurama whispered. Hiei twitched his head a little, acknowledging Kurama. "We're awake…" Hiei gave a jerky nod. Kurama gave out a brief, relieved sigh and sat up, concealing his face, though he knew that Hiei had most definitely seen his tears. He wiped them away quickly. "I… Thank you," he said. Hiei shook his head.

"Just go back to sleep," he said, in a slightly embarrassed tone.

Kurama turned to him, his eyes puffy but dry. "I know I won't," he stated unsteadily. "Why… why did you wake me up?"

"Part of my job," the youkai said quickly, thanking the fact that it was dark. The stupid fox was making him blush with his gratitude.

"That man…" Kurama shivered. Hiei watched his out of the corner of his eye, waiting for other potential information to reveal itself. "That man… Hiei, what is the nature of your job as a boogeyman?"

"What?"

**A/N: AH OMG I'M DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER!! 8D Once again, please don't berate me so badly I won't be able to walk for a week; I have another chapter in the making! I promise! I'm actually working on it as I type this! (Don't ask me how that works, it just does. Trust me.)**


	15. Onward

**A/N: Told you! I started this RIGHT after I finished the last chapter. In fact, the first two lines of this one were originally part of the last one, but it was already six pages long and I had to get **_**something **_**out to you guys… so yeah. Here's chapter fifteen!  
**

**--------------------------**

"_That man…" Kurama shivered. Hiei watched his out of the corner of his eye, waiting for other potential information to reveal itself. "That man… Hiei, what is the nature of your job as a boogeyman?" _

"_What?"_

----------------------------

"Is it possible that another demon was assigned to me at the same time as you were?"

"No, that wouldn't happen. Mukuro never does that, ever."

"Then… Who was that man? I can always take control of my dreams, except when he's in them."

'She wouldn't have sent another boogeyman out, would she? No, if that were the case, he wouldn't be attacking my dreams as well… So exactly who _is_ he?' Hiei was silent for a while. "I don't know," he said after getting impatient looks from Kurama.

"Then how are we going to find out who he is?" Kurama mused. Hiei was silent, lost in thought. Through his pondering, Kurama let out a yawn. Hiei watched as he tiredly got to his feet and went to the bathroom. He could hear water running as the younger (or older, depending on how you looked at it) boy washed his tear-streaked face. It seemed that he was getting over his fright now that he was awake. "We'll be able to think more clearly if we're not tired," he yawned upon returning. He climbed into the bed and wiggled under the covers, drawing a deep breath to steady himself. Hiei was silent still as he watched Kurama fall asleep.

'You, maybe. I'm not going to sleep,' Hiei thought, getting up and pulling on his boots and cloak. He opened the window and leapt into the night.

Once again flinging open the door to Mukuro's office, Hiei was shocked to find the room empty. Wildly, madly wondering where the hell she was, Hiei looked around one more time before pulling the ward off of his Jagan. He scanned the entire Reikai castle, proving to be a difficult task. He sorted through the energy signals until he found Mukuro's, then raced off in her direction.

He flitted through clusters of busy ogres, who jumped out of his way, trying to keep their papers from flying away with his wind. Moving past rooms he knew were empty, he finally came to a very long flight of stairs. He started up them at a swift pace, wanting to find out what was really going on right away. After five minutes of running, he came to the top of the tower, and a doorway shut tight with visible energy shields. Growling slightly, he tried looking past them with his Jagan, but only got a splitting headache. He groaned, holding his head, then exerted more energy to disarm the barriers altogether. His head throbbed as he opened the door to the room at the pinnacle.

Mukuro was inside, along with a blue-haired demoness who looked like she was half butterfly. They were sitting across from each other around a pedestal topped by a spiky crystal with many tiers and flat planes about as big as a human head. The woman and the crystal were both emitting a dark purple glow as they utilized the crystal to look into other worlds. Blue lightning began to crackle around them as they drew nearer to what they were seeking. Hiei stayed back, in the doorway, knowing better than to try and interfere. There was a flash of indigo light, and then the two slowly came out of their trance. Gradually, the women noticed Hiei's presence. Mukuro rounded on him the moment she knew he was there.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?!" she yelled after getting over the fact that he was there. "You know damn well that this room is off-limits to kids like you!"

Hiei twitched in anger, not appreciating being called a kid. "Since when have _I_ cared about damn boundaries?" he snapped back.

"Since when have you found yourself so important that you can just barge into wherever you feel like, whenever the hell you feel like it?! Last I knew, you were still wallowing in shame for being the Emiko!"

That cancelled Hiei's next words very effectively. His eyes smoldered, glaring the life out of her. She knew that he didn't want that fact getting around. "Now that's over," she said, still angry, "what the hell do you want?"

Hiei had to take a moment for his rage to subside before he could say a word. Unclenching his fists, he spoke, his voice quivering slightly. "There's something happening in Ningenkai. I need to know some things about the other boogeymen," he said, very deliberately, to control himself.

"You can wait until I get back to my office," she said snappishly, shoving him out of the door and slamming it in his face.

----------------------------

When Mukuro stepped into her headquarters and found Hiei already sitting there, simmering, she was slightly more civil. "Now what was it that you wanted?" she asked.

It took a while for Hiei to answer, his pride having been bruised earlier. "I want to know if you've assigned any more boogeymen to the kid," he said flatly, safely not moving from his position.

Mukuro frowned, already trying to figure out what Hiei was up to. "No, I haven't. Why?"

Hiei turned his glance minutely away; he didn't exactly want to admit to Mukuro that he'd been having nightmares. He could hear the teasing in his head now: _"You came here because of a bad dream? Baby!"_ He narrowed his eyes and thought of how to word his next statement.

"Things have changed. I've been attacked," he said, deciding this was the best route to follow.

Mukuro immediately tensed. "Attacked? By who? Who would dare?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking _you._" One of Hiei's eyebrows rose.

"_How_ were you attacked?" she drilled on.

"Through dreams," Hiei answered shortly.

Mukuro's eyes widened fractionally for a split-second then narrowed greatly. She seemed to be deep in thought. "Dreams…" she echoed quietly. Hiei watched her somewhat warily, expecting some kind of revelation to come violently. It did not, however, and Mukuro stayed silent. Finally, she looked up. "Has Kurama been attacked as well?" she asked suddenly.

Hiei was confused but answered anyway. "Yes, why?"

"Go back to him," she ordered briskly. "Bring him here. Right now," she said as Hiei opened his mouth to speak. "No questions. Go!"

'God _damn_ I hate it when she does this,' Hiei thought bitterly, arriving at Kurama's house in late afternoon. Kurama looked at him, puzzled, when he hopped through the window.

"What happened?" Kurama asked, watching Hiei's silent form. It stayed silent, and Hiei plopped down in the corner of the room pensively. Kurama raised an eyebrow but did not press the matter, still trying to stay on good terms with his 'guest.' Hiei stood again, then turned to the redhead.

"Follow me," he said shortly. He jumped back out the window, not waiting for Kurama to respond. He didn't have to wait very long; Kurama caught up with him and matched Hiei's moderate pace.

"What's going on? Where are we going?" the kitsune asked, slightly curious and slightly annoyed.

"We're going to Makai."

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**Well, I think that's it for this chapter. Sorry if it seems short—it seems short to me**—**but I thought that this was a good place to end the chapter. As always, reviews are always highly appreciated, and thanks again to those who are still reading even through that long wait. :3**


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